Since the sudden and unexplained disappearance of Student Government Board member Joshua… Since the sudden and unexplained disappearance of Student Government Board member Joshua Carl, filling his seat has become a priority.

Now that the application process is over, SGB will host the eight candidates for a question-and-answer session at tonight’s public meeting.

While board members are traditionally elected by a vote of the student body, the SGB constitution calls for only board members to vote in this particular situation. A simple majority vote is all it takes for one candidate to win, and President Shady Henien may only vote to make a tie.

Henien called on all students to attend tonight’s meeting and question their potential representatives.

“This is your opportunity – a unique opportunity,” Henien said. “These applicants that are coming forward are not running a traditional election, and more so than ever we need the students’ input because one of these candidates will be the one who represents them for the next few months.

“I want the students to come out and voice their concerns and ask any and every question they could have.”

Whoever wins the ballot – a win that could potentially be achieved with as few as two votes from the current board members – will sit on the board for the next three months, until the regular yearly election takes place.

Eight applicants are vying for the open board seat.

“I was going to run in December anyway,” candidate Nila Devanath said. Devanath, who currently chairs SGB’s academic affairs committee, said she sees many advantages to being promoted to this position on the board.

“It’s harder for committee chairs to get stuff done because they’re appointed,” she said. “So if I were on the board I could have more access to administrators and be able to get most of my projects done in a very efficient way to get results out to students as quickly as possible.”

Devanath’s committee organized the recently passed resolution calling on the University to set a policy that would restrict the number of final exams a student can be made to take in a single 24-hour period.

While numerous students – including public relations committee chairman Perry Servedio and governmental relations committee chairwoman Erin Schaefer – already involved with SGB have applied for the position, some outsiders also feel that they deserve a place on the board.

“I think that I bring a fresh perspective,” said candidate Lee Every, a junior. “I’ve involved myself in a variety of different ways, and getting involved in SGB is something I’ve always wanted to do. It’s a great opportunity to represent the student body.”

Those with experience working for SGB see it as a distinct advantage.

“The public relations chair role put me in a good position to meet a lot of student leaders on campus and just many more people in the administration,” Servedio said. “For a lot of people, three months isn’t that much time, but I think over the course of the next few months I would be able to get a lot accomplished.”

Regarding the differences among the candidates, Henien said, “We have greeks, non-greeks, ranging from sophomores to seniors, people who have never had relationships with SGB before to committee chairs – it’s pretty diverse.”

The predominant issues incoming candidates are faced with include feedback on and criticism of the new meal plan system, continuing discussions to re-vamp SafeRider and increasing communication among student organizations.

“I look forward to creating a more cohesive relationship between organizations in the University that you may not think have too much in common, but if you align their goals, should be working more cohesively,” Every said.

“I know a lot of students are unsatisfied with SafeRider, and I feel that we need to overhaul that system,” said candidate Gary Sanderson.

Sanderson decided to run after Henien – who happens to be in the same fraternity as him – approached him about the position.

“I was pleased with almost every applicant,” Henien said. “They have a lot to offer. It’s going to be a tough decision, but rest assured that we’re only going to take the best applicant who can best serve the students.”

After the public questioning at tonight’s meeting, which will begin at 8:45 on the eighth floor of the union, SGB will take a week to deliberate and then publicly vote at the following week’s meeting.

“Personally, there are a couple applicants I see higher than others. But to be fair, we should definitely listen to all of their promises tomorrow night,” Henien said. “The purpose of SGB is not about glorifying yourself, it’s about making the school as good as we can for the students.”