Spirited Petersen Soaks in UC Victory

Making up for lost time, Ryan A. Petersen ’08 was celebrating before he found out he was going to be the next Undergraduate Council (UC) president.

Belatedly enjoying having turned 21 just four days ago, a liquor-scented Petersen was ecstatic last night when Election Commission Chair Joshua G. Allen ’09 and the Harvard Glee Club arrived at Currier House to announce his victory.

The crowd of 60 supporters, crammed into the Bingham Solarium, erupted into a chorus of deafening cheers and let loose sprays of champagne as Allen entered.

Announcing that Petersen and running mate Matthew L. Sundquist ’09 won with 37.5 percent of the vote, Allen introduced the newly elected UC president and vice president as the Glee Club performed “Domine Salvum Fac,” a song sung only to visiting dignitaries and incoming council presidents.

“Matt and I are here and we’re going to be working for you every day,” Petersen said in his victory speech. “For every hour you put in, I promise Matt and I will put in 10!”

Petersen and Sundquist received 1,314 first-place votes out of 3,519 total votes cast. The ticket’s campaign strategy included knocking on doors and rallying in front of the Science Center with telltale orange posters every day of the campaign.

Those same posters decorated the solarium alongside photos from the campaign’s kickoff party and Christmas lights. Dimmed overhead lights and a pounding party music mix consisting of popular hip-hop completed the celebratory atmosphere.

“I’m ecstatic,” said Campaign Manager Tracy E. Nowski ’07. “We’ve been working harder on this than my thesis would like to discuss.”

As the election wound down, Petersen and Sundquist ran into trouble with campaign regulations, racking up a total of 305 violation points—the most of any of the six tickets. But Nowski said they weren’t worried. “It just keeps things interesting,” she said.

Presidential contender Brian S. Gillis ’07-’08, former council member Aaron D. Chadbourne ’06, and outgoing UC president John S. Haddock ’07 and vice-president Annie R. Riley ’07 were among the wellwishers last night.