SA senate chosen

By Christopher Norman
October 2, 2006

DeKALB | The final tally is in for the 2006 fall general Student Association Senate election.

A total of 758 students voted in this year’s election, equaling 2.9 percent of the student body, up from 2.6 last fall.

The biggest upset came when many returning candidates were not elected. Candidates Jason Barsema, Lee Blank, Holly Creamer and Robert Batey, all familiar faces in last year’s senate, did not make the cut in the highly competitive District 3. Batey, the speaker of the Senate, will retain his position but will now serve without a vote.

Of the eight candidates running without a party affiliation, seven won seats. A group of students whose handbills simply read “Don’t forget to come out and vote,” with a list of their names, swept the election.

The Huskie 8 also was able to “bite and fight” its way into the senate as well. Blank was the only member of the group not elected.

The two highest vote winners were Asa Young and Dion Smith. They are both part of the no-name party of District 3.

“I believe I had the most votes because I was out there really hustling,” Young said.

Young is the president of B.R.O.T.H.E.R.S. and involved with the Northern Black Choir and Black Male Initiative.

The results were not officially released until Friday afternoon.

Election Commissioner Erick Brenes said he would contact each senator after the votes were counted Wednesday and tell them if they won or lost. This was not the case, as many of the senators did not find out the results until Friday afternoon after they were made official in the Campus Life Building.

Brenes said he held off publishing the results to give senators “ample time for appeals.”

“The first day was hectic,” Brenes said. “A lot of misunderstandings with communication. The second day was amazingly peaceful.”

Though seven senators lost the election, there are still seven seats open for appointment.

The newly-elected senators must attend a mandatory orientation at 1 p.m. on Oct. 8 in the Campus Life Building. Following their inauguration, the 38th SA Senate will convene for the first time at 6 p.m. that day.

Election Results

District 1

Brittney Motley

Nichole Brown

Orlando Johnson

Josh Alvarado

Jose Nepomuceno

Alex Thervil

Samuel Davis

Paul Bradley

District 2

Matthew Venaas