Class Marshal Finalists Selected

The votes are in, and sixteen finalists for the 2003 Harvard Class Marshals have been selected by their peers from a list of 68 candidates in an election that was marked by unusually heavy campaigning.

The Harvard Alumni Association sent out congratulatory e-mails to the finalists Monday evening, according to finalist Paul E. Kwak ’03 of Mather House.

Joining Kwak as finalists are Stefan Atkinson ’03 of Lowell House, Deanna Barkett ’03 of Winthrop House, James C. Coleman, Jr. ’03 of Lowell House, Mary E. Hammond ’03 of Currier House, J.C. Harrington ’03 from Eliot House, Monique C. James ’03 of Quincy House, Harpaul A. Kohli ’03 of Currier House, Christine M. Lin ’03 of Eliot House, Joseph S. Linhart ’03 of Adams House, Luke R. Long ’03 of Adams House, Emily R. Murphy ’03 of Eliot House, Laurence P. Noonan ’03 of Quincy House, Jennifer Rentas ’03 of Leverett House, Krishnan Subrahmanian ’03 of Pforzheimer House and Heather A.Woodruff ’03 of Leverett House.

Finalists—who will be pared down to eight Class Marshals after voting ends tomorrow— said they were pleasantly surprised when they received the good news Monday night.

“When I found out, I jumped up and down and went screaming down the hall to my roommates,” said Rentas.

For the first time this year, candidates used advertisements, posters and mass e-mails to encourage seniors to vote in their favor.

Long and Linhart took out an ad in the Crimson and postered common areas of the Houses with flyers quoting the movie Zoolander and promoting their candidacies.

“For me it was an opportunity to have fun and meet a lot of new people,” says Long. “I am really excited and pumped that a redneck from Wyoming could be selected by such an amazing group of people.”

Others took a more tempered approach.

Woodruff ’03 said she informed friends of her candidacy through e-mails and phone calls.

But some finalists said they did not see the need to campaign until they realized other candidates launched poster and e-mail campaigns.

“I felt pressured to campaign when I saw posters all over campus,” said Rentas, who eventually sent out e-mails asking her friends asking for their support.

The eight seniors who will be selected as Class Marshals will be part of the Class Committee responsible for organizing senior class events during the year and alumni events and reunions after graduation.