Dear Students,

This year, the executive elections have shaped up to be an invigorating and competetive process, which is exciting. To see such a diverse group of students running with such passion, different types of experiences, and unique goals is an event unprecedented in recent PSGA memory. I urge you to vote carefully. This executive board will be responsible for carrying out your wishes and addressing your issues, be they with campus life or programming and activities.  Your mandatory student activity fee pays the executives' stipends, so choose wisely. We are also asking for a slight increase in the fee; this is due to the expanding services and clubs who will be able to better serve you with the appropriate amount of funding. Read through the candidate responses by clicking on the link below and downloading a copy of last week's Independent which featured the candidate profiles. Also, read the description of the "runoff election" before clicking on the survey link.

I encourage you to vote in an informed manner and making a choice which best represents what you, the students, would like to see in an executive board. Thank you, and good luck with whatever endeavors you have planned for this coming summer.

The link to the ballot will be e-mailed at approximately midnight on Tuesday, May 2nd.

Vote here (login with your Purchase College e-mail): https://studentservices.purchase.edu/authorized/questionaire/Questionaire.aspx?QuestionaireID=53615114

View Candidate Information Here: http://home.purchase.edu/sharedmedia/psga/issue%20113.pdf

Sincerely,
PSGA Election Committee

Emily O'Leary, Election Committee Chair
Emily Griffiths, Humanities Senator
Shaquaisa Spears, Big Haus Senator

WHAT IS A RUNOFF ELECTION?

The PSGA conducts "runoff elections" which gives voters more choice by allowing them to "rank" the candidates in order of preference.  When the polls are closed, the votes are counted as follows:

-If a single candidate receives the majority of votes (50%+1), they win.

-If the votes are distributed without one candidate taking the majority lead, the votes of the candidates with the lowest percentages are redistributed to the second choice listed on those particular ballots.

For example, I vote for Candidate A as my first choice, Candidate B as my second choice, and Candidate C as my third choice. Candidate A only receives 20% of the overall vote, Candidate C receives 35%, and Candidate B receives 45%.  On your ballot, your first choice candidate is eliminated because he/she received the lowest percentage of votes.  Therefore, the counting goes into a "second round", where your vote is redistributed to Candidate B since he/she was your second choice.  In this way, one candidate ends up with the majority of 50%+1.

POSITION DESCRIPTIONS

President - Serves as the representative of the PSGA to the campus and on College Council, nominates justices of the PSGA Judicial Board (unrelated to the Student Affairs Judicial Board), and meets with staff and faculty to discuss the objectives of the student government. Some of the initiatives undertaken in the past by current president Jeff Stein have included "Purchase Wide Open" and the mural project.

 Chair of the Senate - Chairs student Senate meetings, ensures execution of any Senate resolution, serves as interim President if the position becomes vacant, and manages the PSGA central office and the hiring of its staff.

 Coordinator of Finance - Oversees budgets of all clubs, organizations, and services, processes all paperwork, chairs the Finance Committee, and writes the annual PSGA budget.

Coordinator of Clubs, Organizations & Services - Calls and chairs COCOAS meetings, oversees the processes of all clubs and organizations, and chairs the Student Services Board (PTV, The Independent, The Submission, WPSR, etc).

Coordinator of the Student Center - Coordinates all Student Center processes, responsible for hiring staff and discretionary budget.

Coordinator of Major Events - Responsible for planning Fall Fest and Culture Shock, required to chair Major Events Committee and meet with various campus staff to plan festivals.

Coordinator of General Programming - Provides programming (mainly in Student Center) for student entertainment from a discretionary budget and chairs the General Programming Committee.