Conversation between candidates and constituents waiting for senate election results outside the Student Association office Wednesday night centered more around the effect that a coalition of candidates had on voters’ decisions than whether the candidates thought they would be elected.

The intense conversation continued as those awaiting the results were ushered outside the building while the Holmes Student Center was closing for the night.

James Valentine, coordinator of the Coalition of Students for all Students and a newly-elected senator (receiving 301 votes), maintained that the group’s membership was decided on the candidates’ qualifications, as opposed to their greek affiliation.

Candidates were not allowed on the coalition unless they were “worthy” and were accepted only after their references were checked, he said.

Twenty-nine out of the 30 coalition members were elected.

SA Supreme Court Justice Tom Zur attributed the number of greek candidates on the coalition to greeks’ familiarity “with working on committees.”

Valentine and Zur said the large participation of greek members in the election is because, as individuals, the greek members represent all other student groups and are interested in serving the students and NIU as senators.

However, newly-elected senator Michele Gerritson (254 votes) disagreed.

“I think the coalition will vote for greek interests. Just because the greeks choose to be greek alone says they won’t serve everyone’s interests because being greek is self-serving,” she said.

The coalition probably was not the reason for the small number of candidates running for office because its existence was not widely known, she said.

“The greeks took advantage of the situation,” said newly-elected senator Tom Link (238 votes). “With a two-district election process, they (greeks) have it made.”

Link expressed reservations the coalition would vote as a unit instead of individuals, as coalition members maintain. “By forming the coalition they give up a bit of their individuality,” he said.

Gerritson and Link, both candidates who did not run on the coalition, agreed the students will be unable to tell what the coalition will do until the senate convenes.

Election Commissioner Robert Perry said the five-and-one-half hours taken to tabulate the election results were necessary because of the narrow margins of victory.