n Now that the election is over, I thought I would take the chance to voice some of my thoughts. I first wanted to thank all of my friends, acquaintances and fellow peers who have enthusiastically reached out with all their support before, during and after my campaign for Student Union president with the Team Union Slate.

The past three weeks have been unforgettable, as I have had the opportunity to travel campus meeting so many new faces and enjoy so many amazing conversations. I have been involved with the Union since my freshman year simply because I want to be of service to the student body; my aspirations to be your president were simply one way to continue my service. Now that the opportunity has come and gone, I look forward to the new opportunities that are available to me to be of service to all of you.

That being said, it doesn’t matter if I lost the election by a margin of 30 votes or a margin of 300 votes-we must come together and move forward. Let’s not get stuck in the past. It would be far too easy to just walk away-instead, let’s think of the possibilities that we have before us. Last year we had five candidates and 1900 votes cast; this year we had 13 candidates and more than 3,900 votes. This isn’t just a win for individual candidates; this is a huge win for the Union — and a huge win for all of you.

We worked so hard this year so students would put their faith back into the Union — well, we are on our way. Now it is time for all of us to get behind our new Union Executive Board and work toward future successes.

And as for me, I will be behind our new E-Board all the way, providing as much insight and resources as possible. George Bernard Shaw once said, “I am of the opinion that my life belongs to the whole community and as long as I live it is my privilege to do for it whatever I can.” This quote means so much to me, because at the end the day we all must understand it isn’t about us, it truly is about the big picture — it is about making a difference for others and being of service to the BU community. I hope you will join me with an optimistic and enthusiastic outlook for our next Student Union — they are good people, they will work hard and I know that as a team they will be very successful.

Mark DiCristofaro

COM ’08

Student UnionVice President