The Quadrangle

Issue date: 11/3/04 Section: Features

In the shadow of national, state, and local elections, the Manhattan College class of 2004 had their own decisions to make as the Student Government held elections last month. While many campaigned - some with superimposed celebrities and personal headshots on flyers, only four could win seats on the Class of 2008's executive board.

John Fitzgerald, Teresa Moran, Keira Maguire, and Dan Siragusa were chosen as the leaders of the freshman class. Winning in close races all around, Fitzgerald was elected President, Moran and Maguire Vice President, and Siragusa was elected Treasurer. Fueled by a desire to help their class and school, the four students further expressed their motivations and plans for the class in the upcoming semesters.

President John Fitzgerald ran because of his commitment of making a great college experience for the students here. In his attempts to bring the Jasper community closer together, Fitzgerald hopes to organize events that would keep students on-campus both weekdays and weekends. To get students interested and invested in the school, Fitzgerald is planning a skiing trip for the upcoming months, and is organizing a Battle of the Bands for next semester.

"I am looking forward to being the freshman class President, and I am going to try my best to make it a fun, exciting year with a little bit of something for everyone," said Fitzgerald.

Vice President Teresa Moran, like Fitzgerald, also ran with the aspiration of not only monitoring the activities of the class, but to also help create events that will benefit the Class of 2008.

"Our job in Student Government is really to represent the freshman and what we want, I think the best way for us to do this is to listen to our fellow freshman and see what they would like to happen. Anyone who has any suggestions of activities they would like to see happen or problems that need to be addressed let anyone of us know and we will try to our best to do something about it. The ideas would definitely be appreciated!" said Moran.

Treasurer Dan Siragusa enthusiastically spoke of how he plans to help students through allocating funds for activities and trips that will benefit the class.

Siragusa said, "As the freshman class Treasurer, I will be creating the class budget for second semester. Some ideas that the officers and I have are a possible ski trip in February and, of course, the Spring Fling on the Hudson River."

A self-admitted "go-getter," Siragusa will use his previous experience in high school student government in helping him with his current position of office. Faced with what can be a burdensome task, insofar as finding and raising funds, Siragusa plans on focusing most of his time on the logistics of the ideas created by the Student Government.

At the time of interview, fellow Vice President Kiera Maguire was not available for comments.

In offices that demand attention from hundreds of students, the freshman class officers plan on creating an environment on campus that will keep students engaged, interested, and entertained. While a tall order, these four students look forward to the challenges and rewards that come with holding an office within the Manhattan College Student Government.

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