Senior class selects three finalists for YAT

Correction appended

A field of 30 was narrowed to three Tuesday with the Alumni Association’s announcement of the finalists in the race for young alumni trustee (YAT).

Seniors Elizabeth Dilday, Maria Salciccioli and Josh Weinstein received the greatest number of votes in the first round of voting. Dilday is a member of the Alcohol Coalition Committee and previously served as its chair. Salciccioli serves as U-Council chair, and Weinstein is a former USG president.

“[Being chosen as a YAT finalist] is a mix of surprise and humility,” Dilday, a History concentrator from Long Beach, Calif., said in an e-mail. “Four years ago, I would have slept in a tent outside in the snow just to come to Princeton, take classes, and be a student here.”

Dilday added that, given how much she has “enjoyed and appreciated” her time at Princeton, she thought she would experience “withdrawals” if she did not remain involved with the University after graduation.

“I’m absolutely elated!” Salciccioli, a history major from Harper Woods, Mich., said in an e-mail. “Being on the U-Council has taught me a lot of skills that I think would be helpful as a trustee — the last two years on USG have necessitated a great deal of personal responsibility. Through my work as a U-Councilor, I’ve been able to take initiative on projects, and as U-Council Chair, I’ve learned to manage people while listening to them and supporting them at the same time.” Salciccioli is also a blogger for The Daily Princetonian.

Weinstein, an East Asian Studies major from New York, said he ran for YAT to “continue to represent the interests of the students.”

“I’m incredibly excited,” he said in an e-mail. “The three finalists all have showed tremendous dedication to our class and the Princeton experience.”

During the first round of voting — which ran from Feb. 27 to March 5 — 671 seniors voted online, Andrew Gossen ’93, senior associate director for administration in the Alumni Association, said in an e-mail this afternoon to the candidates notifying them of the results.

The percentage of those who voted in this year’s YAT election out of those who were eligible to vote was the highest since 2005, when 708 seniors voted, University spokeswoman Cass Cliatt ’96 said in an e-mail. Last year, 572 votes were cast in the primary election. There were no challenges to or problems with this year’s primary voting, Cliatt added.

To enter the race for YAT, the candidates needed to obtain signatures from 50 fellow seniors. During the election period, the candidates were not allowed to take a position on any issue that may come before the University Board of Trustees in the future or to publicize their candidacy through posters, e-mail or other forms of mass communication. They were also not allowed to permit solicitation on their behalf.

The majority of finalists in the YAT races of recent years have been student government leaders. All three finalists in each of the 2005, 2007 and 2008 YAT contests held positions in the USG or their class governments, while the 2004 and 2006 YAT contests each saw two student government leaders in the final three.

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Three of the four current young alumni trustees served in the USG or their class governments.

“I think it’s a testament to the hard work USG leaders put in on behalf of their fellow students, but [it] is also, in part, a result of the name recognition that we have from running in elections and campaigning,” Salciccioli said of student government officers’ success in YAT races. “The name recognition that comes from USG involvement can certainly be detrimental to people who are really dedicated to Princeton but who are not putting themselves out there all the time ... I hope that people will vote based upon our experience, personal characteristics, and general involvement at Princeton over the last few years— not just on our titles.”

Dilday said is not surprised by the number of USG officials in the running each year.

“After all, they are leaders - they are individuals who the campus community respects and selected with good reason to represent the undergraduate population,” she said. “I admire the substantial commitment of time and energy that everyone on USGs of the past, present, and future has invested in managing and improving student life.”

Online voting in the general election will run from April 22 until May 20 and will be open to members from the classes of 2007 to 2010. The winner will be announced during Reunions in May.

The chosen YAT will serve a four-year term that begins July 1 and will participate as a full voting member of the board. YATs attend five meetings per year for the four years following their graduation in addition to meetings that they may attend if they join any of the board’s 10 committees.

The position provides the board with the perspective of a recent graduate who is more familiar with student concerns than older alumni. The board contains a total of 40 members, including ex officio members President Tilghman and New Jersey Gov. Jon Corzine.

Meaghan Petersack ’08, James Williamson ’07, Brady Walkinshaw ’06 and Matt Margolin ’05 are the current young alumni trustees. Margolin will vacate his seat to make way for the trustee from the Class of 2009.

Correction

An earlier version of this article misidentified Elizabeth Dilday's department of concentration. She is a history major.