On Sept. 10, elections for positions on the Hall Council went live following candidates' speeches at the various residence halls. Every residence hall held elections for building representative, director for business administration and residential hall president. Though the Hall Councils have representation at the Inter-Residence  Hall Council, it does not constitute the entire body. Elections for Inter-Residence Hall Council will be held in December

Hall Council General Assembly meetings presented the opportunity for students to listen to what candidates had to offer. In A2 and A5 residence halls, students campaigned on behalf of the candidates they supported, placing posters on walls, doors and elevators. Hall Council General Assembly meetings presented opportunities for students to listen to what candidates had to offer.

Some students showed excitement for the newly elected Hall Council.

Freshman Rosy Tahan said, “I'm excited to see what our newly elected Hall Council will do. Hopefully there'll be many wonderful events and things that will deter me from spending weekends at home!”

The newly elected president for A5, freshman Charlotte Gundry, is excited about serving her residence hall. In an interview with The Gazelle, she said she aims to bridge the gap between freshmen and upperclassmen.

“My main priorities this year, in collaboration with the rest of the Hall Council, are to promote respect between the amazingly diverse community here, to encourage reconnecting between the freshman and the upperclassmen, and finally to plan events which everyone can participate in!” wrote Gundry to The Gazelle.

A2-elected Director of Business Administration, Amer Nasr, said that Hall Council provided a chance to formulate the beginnings of campus life on Saadiyat.

“I trust that I can take part in managing one of the many first fully-equipped residential student life committees. Managing budgets reflect my passion for numbers, and collaborating while representing the A2 student body, reflect my desire to fully participate in our [Office of Residential Education] community,” said Nasr.

However, some students still had their doubts. Freshman Arianna Stucki is skeptical about her representatives' ability to enhance her sense of home on the new campus.

“As a freshman, I don't think many of us feel quite at home yet and I know I'm not sure if I ever could really feel at home in a college dorm. But it was really cool to see how many people were willing to try to make that happen for us” Stucki commented.

Though A2 and A5 elected their representatives, a different method was used for A6. Contrary to what happened in residence halls A2 and A5, residents of A6 agreed they would allow their representatives to be elected in the course of the next General Assemblies. It was decided that two volunteers will fill the positions in the interim.

Sophomore and Residential Assistant Alexandru Roşca explained the reason for this unusual situation.

“A6 is working on a different model. Given [the] high population of seniors who are very busy individuals, the President and the Director of Business Administration will be elected organically after a few [General Assembly meetings]. In the meantime, the Hall Council Liaison, myself, and Maria Funcheon, the advisor to the A6 Hall Council, are the persons who substitute for those two leadership positions.”