The incoming BBA Council president and vice president for the 2018-2019 academic year will appoint students to serve as vice president of finance and vice president of student clubs after no eligible Goizueta Business School students ran for those positions, according to Chair of the Elections Board Betty Zhang (20C).
Incoming BBA Council President Jay Krishnaswamy (16Ox, 19B) and Vice President Willi Freire (19B) told the Wheel that they will select students to fill the positions through an application and interview process in an April 3 email.
“We are currently in the process of identifying the best candidate for VP of clubs and VP of finance and will do so through an application and interview process,” they wrote. “We hope to have this done in conjunction with the other appointed positions in terms of timing.”
Current BBA Council President Grace Cleland (18B) told the Wheel that she thinks interest in elected positions for BBA Council depends on the students, how well the BBA Council advertises elections and students choosing to avoid the public eye during a “daunting” election season.
Cleland said she supports the decision to allow next year’s BBA Council leadership to appoint students to these positions.
“I fully trust the incoming president and vice president to appoint these positions to the best of their ability and know that they will select the strongest candidates to fill those roles,” Cleland wrote in an April 1 email to the Wheel. “The incoming Council leadership will be able to interview and fully understand each candidate’s vision for the respective positions before they appoint anyone, and I trust in that comprehensive interview process.”
The position of vice president of finance is currently held by Luke Rodin (16Ox, 19B), who defeated one other opponent in the Spring 2017 election. Rachel Klein (19B) also ran victoriously against one other student for the role of vice president of student clubs but is studying abroad this semester. She was replaced by Ashley Daniels (19B), who previously served as a member-at-large.
Rodin declined to comment. Klein and Daniels did not respond to request for comment.
Other positions on the BBA Council are typically appointed, not elected, including the vice president of communications and vice president of programming, according to Cleland.
Carolyn Perry (18B) said she was surprised that there were no candidates running for the two positions, given how contested the other races within the BBA Council were. This year, four students ran for the BBA Council president position.
“I feel pretty confident in those positions being appointed, as they will likely be filled by people who do care about Goizueta,” Perry said.
valerie.sandoval@emory.edu | Valerie Sandoval (20C) is from Greenville, S.C., and is majoring in economics and political science. In addition to the Wheel, Valerie is on the women’s ultimate frisbee team.
