Thirty-one seniors are running for the 2025 Young Alumni Trustee (YAT), continuing an increasing trend over the years. Last year, 27 people ran, compared with 23 in 2023 and 21 in 2022.
The 31 candidates come from a variety of campus backgrounds and majors, but there are some commonalities. Approximately one-third were involved in the Undergraduate Student Government (USG) or Class Council in some form, and nine are residential college advisors.
Twenty-nine candidates responded to a questionnaire sent by The Daily Princetonian. Two, Alaa Omer ’25 and Mark-Anthony Prescott ’25, did not respond to multiple requests for response.
The majority of the YAT candidates are from the United States, with only three international seniors running for election. Cap and Gown is the most represented eating club of the 29 responses, with five YAT candidates affiliated with Cap and Gown. Tower is in second place with four candidates, followed by Terrace and Tiger Inn tied for third place with three candidates each.
More YAT candidates identify as male, making up 59% of the candidates who responded.
There are YAT candidates from 12 distinct A.B. majors, with Economics and Public and International Affairs being the most popular. There are four of each of these majors, around 13 percent of the total candidates. Comparatively, only two B.S.E. majors are represented among the YAT candidates: Computer Science (COS) and Operations Research and Financial Engineering (ORFE). ORFE is the most represented among the B.S.E. candidates: Around 57 percent of the B.S.E. candidates are ORFE majors.
A majority of 77% of YAT candidates are A.B., and the most popular major among all YAT candidates is COS, with two A.B. COS majors and three B.S.E. COS majors.
Primary election voting for the Class of 2025 Young Alumni Trustee will open on March 31 to all current University seniors. The elected candidate will serve on the Board of Trustees for four years, acting as a full board member.
In the Young Alumni Trustee election, a member of the senior class is first elected through a primary, in which only other seniors can vote. Following this, the top three candidates advance to the general election, with the senior class, the junior class, and the two most recent alumni classes all eligible to vote.
The 2025 Young Alumni Trustee primary election will begin on Monday, March 31, with voting open only to the members of the Class of 2025, and will end on April 8. The primary election uses ranked-choice voting, and seniors will be able to rank all 31 candidates in order of preference. The results of the primary election will be announced the day after voting closes.
Voting for the general election will open on April 30 and close May 14 for members of the Class of 2023, Class of 2024, Class of 2025, and Class of 2026. The general election also uses ranked-choice voting, so electors will be able to select a first choice and a second choice from among the candidates. The winner will be announced at an alumni council meeting on May 23.
YATs serve a total of four years on the board, meaning there will always be four board members that are recent graduates. Currently serving on the board are graduates Aisha Chebbi ’24, Mutemwa Masheke ’23, Naomi Hess ’22, and Morgan Smith ’21.
One key difference between the YAT process and most other elections is that candidates are prohibited from campaigning. Candidates do not run on a specific platform, and they are allowed only a brief statement about themselves which can be found on Princeton’s YAT website. The Young Alumni Trustee Candidate handbook explains that allowing candidates to conduct issue-based campaigning could potentially undermine the position of a trustee in the proceedings of the board, holding them to a previously expressed stance on any given issue.
The elected candidate will hold the same responsibility as other board members, according to Princeton’s YAT website. The website also states that “a trustee will spend an estimated 200 hours per year on Princeton board commitments.”
Devon Rudolph is an associate News editor and staff Sports writer for the ‘Prince.’
Sarah Mashiat is a contributing News writer for the ‘Prince.’
Please send any corrections to corrections[at]dailyprincetonian.com
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