By Zac Estrada, News Staff

Student Government Association (SGA) senators voted current Vice President of Student Services Will Pett to be the group’s next executive vice president Monday night, and elected a slate of new vice presidents and chair of the Elections Committee.

These internal elections followed the announcement that students had elected outgoing Vice President of Academic Affairs Michael Sabo student body president.

Pett, a sophomore history and political science student, defeated current Elections Committee Chair Olivia D’Angelo, a sophomore physics major, for the top vice president slot.

The executive vice president for the senate assists the president in long-term planning, special projects and initiatives, according to the association’s website. The position also requires oversight of the SGA’s communications, events, archives, fundraising and alumni connections.

The SGA executive vice president primarily conducts weekly meetings and does not have rights to vote in resolutions.

Pett succeeds former Student Body President candidate Sean Maloney in the seat. Working closely with Maloney during this year convinced Pett he was qualified to lead the senate.

“I have spent the past year on the executive cabinet. I’ve learned a lot through behind-the-scenes work,” Pett said Monday while presenting his qualifications against D’Angelo’s.

Both D’Angelo and Pett have been on the senate since September 2009.

Pett said that while he wants to be more outgoing and interact more with the student body than Maloney did in his term, his priority is to stay neutral and unmoved by his own opinions on senate matters.

“I plan to remain an unbiased and consistent chair who will explain procedures when necessary,” Pett said.

D’Angelo tried to convince senators her experience on four subcommittees and promoting SGA events qualified her to keep the association moving in the right direction as executive vice president.

She said her experience promoting this year’s elections outweighed Pett’s skills to oversee the senate’s communications.

“I want to make sure senate is running as efficiently as possible,” D’Angelo said.

Senator Anthony Golia was also elected Monday as comptroller. Dani Wojdyla will succeed President-elect Sabo as vice president of academic affairs. Jonas Edwards-Jenks was named vice president of student affairs. Senators Matthew Crimmins and Tim LePage will serve as vice presidents of student involvement and student services, respectively.

Outgoing Director of Communications Taylor Cotter was voted to serve as Elections Committee Chair next year.

Referenda Results

Voters approved the two referendum measures on this year’s ballot, Student Government Association (SGA) officials reported Monday evening.

Initiatives were passed to put to students to directly elect SGA’s executive vice president position, and to create a student position on Northeastern University’s Board of Trustees.

Referendum 1, the student trustee position, was passed 2,771 votes in favor, with 101 in opposition. The move effectively passes an endorsement of the creation of the implementation of a non-voting student representative on the Student Affairs Committee of the Board of Trustees, responsible for issues including Residential Life and student conduct and conflict resolution.

The second initiative would make the position of SGA executive vice president a directly elected post, and puts it on the same ticket as Student Body President. Northeastern students voted 1,821-759 in favor of allowing a presidential candidate to nominate an executive vice president for the spring election. Both candidates must meet eligibility requirements to serve as president and executive vice president, respectively.

In order to be posed to students, referenda items needed 750 student signatures supporting the measures, as well as approval by a majority of the senate.

SGA reported 3,620 students voted in this year’s election, or about 22.8 percent of the undergraduate student body. The minimum amount of voter turnout to certify an election is 20 percent, according to the Direct Elections Manual.