PBHA Elects New Slate of Officers

Receiving a standing ovation for his leadership services, Joseph M. Garland '00 passed on the presidency to Natalie Guerrier '01 at last night's Phillips Brooks House Association (PBHA) elections.

"PBHA needs to focus on getting back to its roots," Guerrier said in her candidate speech just before the vote. "With 70 committees, volunteers sometimes don't feel a connection to the organization or each other."

Also elected last night were Michael E.Thakur '01 as vice president, Lee M. Hampton '01 as treasurer, Priscilla Chan '01 and Charity D. Shumway '01 as programming chairs, Andrew Park '01 and Aalap A. Mahadevia '03 as fundraising chairs, and Goldy M. Peterson '01 as events coordinator.

The election for the position of secretary was postponed until Dec. 1 because no one accepted a nomination to run for the office.

Elected candidates will assume office in February 2000, just after PBHA celebrates its centennial anniversary.

The three presidential candidates, Guerrier, Thakur, and Trevor S. Cox '01, spoke of their plans to launch PBHA into the 21st century. They stressed the need for interaction between the organization's various programs.

"Various programs of PBHA can only gain from integration," said Rebecca A. Windt '02, a program director. "Every committee can contribute to a support network for PBHA."

Candidates also urged interaction between PBHA and the Cambridge community.

"We need to form a vision for where this club is headed," Thakur said. "We need to form more partnerships with the community and reach out to volunteers."

Guerrier also suggested that community members could serve on PBHA's board of trustees to further their involvement in the organization.

Last year, PBHA administrators struggled to hire a complete, permanent staff. This year, the incoming executive will be able to draw on the resources provided by the new staff members.

"At full staff, we can maximize the use of our resources, and do what we do even better," said Shumway, a new programming chair.

Newly elected officers said they will also benefit from last year's competent, unified leadership.

"We are on a strong footing," Guerrier said, adding that the previous officer's committee worked well together.

In past years, issues have arisen over how PBHA exists in relation to the University, Guerrier said.

But this year's officers promise a unified front. Candidates agreed with each other on many key issues.

"I was impressed with the speeches of all three candidates," said Kenneth W. Miller '00, a program director. "They all have a good idea about what needs to be done with PBHA."

Excitement for the new millenium pervaded the speeches. "It's time to celebrate," Thakur said during his presidential speech, putting on a Hawaiian lei.