By John Selby ‘15
When Pat Mulach ’15 walked confidently to the podium to address over 1,000 students, he proclaimed that he and his colleague Danny Ertle ’15 were the men for job after emphatically reciting the refrain to Aloe Blacc’s hit single “I’m The Man.”
The student body evidently agreed that Mulach was in fact the man for the job, as they elected him President of the student body and Ertle as his vice president. The Mulach-Ertle tandem, running a campaign characterized by slogans like “Slow Animals, Fast Government,” are and have been a dynamic combination since they first set foot on the grounds of our famed alma mater.
“Freshman year we really got to know each other well in Bro Co’s class – shoutout to the man himself, Brother Cordero – and have been best friends since,” said Ertle. “Sophomore year we gained a ton of experience and realized we worked well together.”
Ertle also adds that it was a “natural transition” to this year’s campaign since Pat had served as Sophomore class president and he himself had served as vice president.
Mulach, a St. Christopher grad, and Ertle, a Ruffing Montessori grad, have both had extensive involvement in Student Senate and agreed that they wanted to continue their involvement as leaders together for the 2014-2015 school year.
The campaign was a “ton of work” according to President Mulach. “From creating posters to crafting the speech, Danny and I put a lot of time and effort into the whole ordeal.”
Mulach had high praise for his running mate.
“Danny was fantastic during the entire campaign for he played a key role in making sure the speech flowed smoothly and creating new posters,” he said. “We are still waiting to celebrate at Applebee’s half-priced apps.”
Mulach believes that the decisive factor in a tight campaign against the Dugan-Eckman and Schumacher-Raddell slates was the emphasis they put on making sure students got to the polls during lunch periods.
Mulach said he credits the get out the vote effort with getting him elected. “This was especially vital for the second round of elections as the number of voters significantly rose,” he said.
Mulach and Ertle both have freshman brothers who Pat says helped, “spread a good word” among the underclassmen.
“We’re so grateful and honored to be chosen for these positions,” said Ertle. “We really look forward to the upcoming year and promise to work our hardest to make next year reach its full potential.”
President Mulach says he looks forward to creating some “ill” student sections next year and enjoying the perquisites of office. “I haven’t put much thought into titles yet, but Geoff DiMassa would definitely be a fan of ‘Mr. President’ as he shouts it throughout the halls whenever he see me.”
Mulach summarized his goals for next year in the following statement:
Ignatius Students,
Danny and I would like to truly thank you guys for the support during this year’s campaign. Thank you to everyone who voted both in the slate election and the class officers election. As “King” Zupan clutches onto his final week in office, I want to give you guys a heads up on what you can expect next year.The Student Senate next year will be ultra-receptive to you, the students. I will add a student suggestion box outside of the senate office so that you guys can drop off ideas for events such as homecoming and student section themes. We really want to incorporate the student body’s ideas into senate next year, and to accomplish this we need student participation.
Thank you again to all who voted and I am looking forward to a fantastic year. Thank you for trusting Danny and I to run the show next year. We promise to do everything we can to make the next school year your best at Ignatius.
Go cats,
Pat Mulach
