On Thursday evening, the senators were notified by phone or in person of their appointment to the 2001 SA Senate.

Even though the polls saw a low turnout, the election went off without a hitch, said election judge Lynette Jackson.

The only hold-up in the election was a tie between Josh Blakemore and Erik Benbennick, both representing the fourth district. This tie resulted in a recount to assure the results, which was the reason the announcement was delayed.

The tie will become a moot point, however. Benbennick said he plans to withdraw his name from the election because he is friends with Blakemore.

As part of the SA, senators will serve on committees and be in charge of financial issues, such as budget legislation.

Now that the votes have been tallied and the senators are set, the new inductees say they are ready to start their work and get things done.

“I am looking forward to getting back into [the Senate] and getting some changes made,” fourth district senator Jeff Meyer said.

As many senators have expressed, one of the biggest issues is restoring the senate’s respect and prestige, Blakemore said.

Meyer agreed.

“The senate has become a rubber stamp,” he said. “I want to promote my colleagues to take a more active stance.”

But those aren’t the senators’ only objectives — the fourth and fifth districts, which contain residence halls, plan to make residence hall life better for students. They want to tackle the meal plan issue, which has been one of the biggest problems in the residence halls.

“I am working on a revised meal plan that [students] want,” fifth district senator R.J. Gravel said.

Parking concerns also will be addressed.

“I hope to get some things changed, like the parking,” fourth district senator Lisa Coopersaid. “It’s ridiculous to have 20,000 cars and 40 parking spots.”

Many students feel that Greek Row, contained in the third district, has been raked over the coals.

“I want to represent more Greeks because they have said they have not been satisfied in the past,” senator Jessica Wynn said.

Along with Wynn, senator Katie McCormick has been looking out for the Greeks.

“I am trying to get more money back to the Greeks,” she said.

All that is left now is orientation, where the senators will become accustomed with the Robert’s Rules of Order, formal guidelines for conducting meetings, the SA Constitution and other SA-related procedures, Jackson said.

The first official senate meeting will take place at 7 p.m. Monday. Anyone interested in filling eight senate seats that remain after the election can come to Monday’s meeting and present his or her platform to the new senators. Six seats remain for the first district and two remain in the third district.