College Party wins close one
A single groan of disappointment resounded through Hubbard Commons Tuesday as the Student Elections Board announced third place in the UI Student Government elections went to the A-Team.
Seconds later, screams of happiness erupted as announcers bypassed the Labor Party, and supporters mobbed the newest UISG leaders - Barrett Anderson and Carole Peterson of the College Party, who garnered 2,125 of the 5,821 votes.
"Carole and I knew we were the underdogs and that we would have to put a lot of work into the campaign to win," said Anderson, who promptly called his mother to tell her the news. "We did things we respected and wanted to have fun through the whole campaign."
The election results prompted an emotional response from the Labor Party, headed by Mark Anthony Dingbaum and Tess Feldman. The group took second place with 2,030 votes, just 95 fewer than the winning party.
"I truly believed we would have been the best, and now we don't get it," said Feldman with tears in her eyes.
The A-Team, headed by UI juniors Atul Nakhasi and Courtney Parker, also expressed disappointment.
"There were so many issues to be addressed," Nakhasi said about why he decided to run after last year's loss. "We had a strong platform, we did our research and felt our goals were realistic this time."
In this year's election, a record-breaking 29.81 percent of UI undergraduates voted, compared with 21 percent last year - when graduate students also had a voice, said Manish Aggarwal, a Student Elections Board public-relations officer. Graduate students didn't cast ballots this year; they voted to separate from the undergraduate-led senate last year.
This year's race also purportedly drew more campaign complaints than last year.
"We were flooded with complaints," said election-board Director Jack Sodak, noting the board plans to discuss accusations made during the last two days of voting on Friday. "There was definitely an upsurge in complaints from last year."
When the newly elected College Party takes the helm in April, the members plan to hit the ground running. In addition to implementing a late-night bus route, Anderson and Peterson want to make better budget decisions and get students involved in the UI presidential search.
"The first thing we plan to do is start working on those safety initiatives," Peterson said. "We plan to keep our promises."
The pair is different from the other tickets because neither has had previous UISG-related experience - a fact noted by one newly elected senator.
"Since the separation [of UISG] passed, it's going to be a big mess," said UI sophomore Bridget Szeluga, who ran with the Labor Party and was elected to the Undergraduate Activities Senate Tuesday night. "It's a ticket with no experience, and it's going to be a hard transition."
The campaign madness will officially wind down after candidates submit their final budgets for review on Thursday, and as the winners await the inaugural ball and others move on with spring-break plans.
"I was amazed by all the parties' campaigns and work they put into it," Anderson said. "I hope they continue to stay involved on campus, because I know they will do good things."
Zhi Xiong and Kayla Kelley
DI Reporters
Seconds later, screams of happiness erupted as announcers bypassed the Labor Party, and supporters mobbed the newest UISG leaders - Barrett Anderson and Carole Peterson of the College Party, who garnered 2,125 of the 5,821 votes.
"Carole and I knew we were the underdogs and that we would have to put a lot of work into the campaign to win," said Anderson, who promptly called his mother to tell her the news. "We did things we respected and wanted to have fun through the whole campaign."
The election results prompted an emotional response from the Labor Party, headed by Mark Anthony Dingbaum and Tess Feldman. The group took second place with 2,030 votes, just 95 fewer than the winning party.
"I truly believed we would have been the best, and now we don't get it," said Feldman with tears in her eyes.
The A-Team, headed by UI juniors Atul Nakhasi and Courtney Parker, also expressed disappointment.
"There were so many issues to be addressed," Nakhasi said about why he decided to run after last year's loss. "We had a strong platform, we did our research and felt our goals were realistic this time."
In this year's election, a record-breaking 29.81 percent of UI undergraduates voted, compared with 21 percent last year - when graduate students also had a voice, said Manish Aggarwal, a Student Elections Board public-relations officer. Graduate students didn't cast ballots this year; they voted to separate from the undergraduate-led senate last year.
This year's race also purportedly drew more campaign complaints than last year.
"We were flooded with complaints," said election-board Director Jack Sodak, noting the board plans to discuss accusations made during the last two days of voting on Friday. "There was definitely an upsurge in complaints from last year."
When the newly elected College Party takes the helm in April, the members plan to hit the ground running. In addition to implementing a late-night bus route, Anderson and Peterson want to make better budget decisions and get students involved in the UI presidential search.
"The first thing we plan to do is start working on those safety initiatives," Peterson said. "We plan to keep our promises."
The pair is different from the other tickets because neither has had previous UISG-related experience - a fact noted by one newly elected senator.
"Since the separation [of UISG] passed, it's going to be a big mess," said UI sophomore Bridget Szeluga, who ran with the Labor Party and was elected to the Undergraduate Activities Senate Tuesday night. "It's a ticket with no experience, and it's going to be a hard transition."
The campaign madness will officially wind down after candidates submit their final budgets for review on Thursday, and as the winners await the inaugural ball and others move on with spring-break plans.
"I was amazed by all the parties' campaigns and work they put into it," Anderson said. "I hope they continue to stay involved on campus, because I know they will do good things."
Zhi Xiong and Kayla Kelley
DI Reporters