The Student Government Association’s executive board will once again number at six this week for the first time since losing their leader a month ago.

A Joint Senate meeting Thursday will determine whether Vice President for Student Services Nicole Martino, Vice President for Academic Affairs Bill Durkin or Sen. Daniel Quintal will assume the role of president for the remainder of the year.

The three will compete for the position vacated by former President Andres Vargas, who stepped down in September after being found responsible for hosting an illegal party by the Office of Student Conduct and Conflict Resolution (OSCCR). Vice President for Student Affairs Erin McFadzen assumed his position temporarily, but will not seek election.

All three candidates said they want to get the organization moving forward as soon as possible and each said they are the best choice for the task.

“I have the most experience of anyone on the executive board,” said Martino, a middler criminal justice major who is serving her second year as vice president. “I think the organization needs someone who can restore the vision of the organization, to get us back together and moving forward as quickly as possible. Experience is key in being qualified to do that.”

Quintal, a senior political science major who served as parliamentarian last year, said he thinks the president should be elected based on skills, not experience.

“The office of president is not something people earn by contributing to student government,” he said. “It’s not a reward, it’s a job, and I feel that I have the skills and qualifications to do that job.”

Durkin, a middler international affairs major who has served as VP for academic affairs since July, faced OSCCR in September on charges of underage drinking. Although Durkin was found not responsible, he said he is still wary the proceedings will affect the election.

“It does make me nervous,” he said. “I don’t want it to detract from the mission of the organization and I don’t think it should. I think we need to look at the issues at hand and the candidates and I think the senate is going to do that.”

The Joint Senate will meet at 6 p.m. Thursday, allowing senators who are currently on co-op to attend. Each presidential candidate will be allowed a four minute speech, followed by six prepared questions each candidate will answer individually. Three speakers for and against the candidates will also be allowed to voice their opinions.

If one of the vice presidents is elected, SGA advisor Gerald Herman said, another race will immediately follow in order to fill that person’s position. The election for vice president follows a similar format to the presidential election, allowing each candidate a four minute speech, followed by four prepared questions and three speakers for and against the candidates.

If Martino wins the election, she will vacate her position as vice president for student services, and an election will follow to fill the position. Sen. Chad Cooper and Sen. Brittani Waldman have both been nominated for the position.

Waldman, a sophomore communications major, ran against Martino unsuccessfully last semester, but said she still feels ready to take over the position.

“We need people to step up, and I’m willing to step up for the organization,” she said. “I’m looking forward to helping out and being there for students, if they feel like something is not going as smoothly as it should be. I’m ready to be there, listen and help figure things out and help them make their experience better.”

Cooper, a third year communications major, said he could transition into the vice president’s position smoothly.

“I sit on the student services committee, I’ve successfully run a couple of student groups since I’ve been a freshman and I have an excellent relationship with housing services and ResLife and the entire student government. I could pop in and it would be pretty seamless,” Cooper said.

If Durkin wins the election, the position of vice president for academic affairs will need to be filled. Durkin’s assistant vice president, Sen. Ashley Adams, is the only one nominated for the position.

“I’ve been learning as much as I can and I think what ma-kes me most qualified is my dedication and passion for [academic affairs] as well as the knowledge I’ve acquired,” said Adams, a sophomore English and international affairs major.

All three candidates for the presidency said they want to make sure the e-board continues with its agenda for the year as quickly as possible. Both Martino and Quintal said direct elections, where SGA elections would be opened up to the entire student body, is an issue that needs to be further reviewed.

“Direct elections is kind of the elephant in the corner of the room,” Quintal said. “That’s something we really need to look at.”

Martino said she would want to make sure enough thought and research went into direct elections before it became a reality and said she was willing to take that on.

“I want to explore the process of direct elections and make sure the ideas are really well hammered out,” she said.

Durkin said it would be important for SGA to become more involved in the community.

“We need to play a bigger role in the city,” Durkin said. “We’re the best led student government in the city and we can really make our voice heard. By doing more hands-on advocacy, that’s how we’re going to get our message out.”

Because of the special circumstances, the new positions will become effective immediately after Thursday’s meeting, Mar-tino said.