The Student Government Association will be holding runoff elections next week, after announcing the much-anticipated results of its initial elections.
SGA presidential candidates Martina Mills, communications junior and congressperson-at-large, and Mary Hayes, psychology junior and senior congressperson-at-large, will face off for the executive branch’s top spot.
SGA vice-presidential candidates, Michelle Clarke, communications sophomore and Arts and Sciences president, and Johmyrin Johnson, chemistry junior and Arts and Sciences representative, will also participate in a final runoff election.
The candidates were scheduled to make their last attempts to secure students’ votes during yesterday’s runoff debate.
The runoff election will be held next Monday and Tuesday with definitive results to be announced on Thursday.
SGA’s remaining two presidential candidates are quickly striving to communicate their qualifications and personalities to the student body.
“I’m campaigning because I love Loyola and I love SGA,” Hayes said. “I think that the SGA presidential position can make a huge difference in a university; it is the voice of all the students and I’d really love to be that voice.”
Her platform includes improving the upcoming multi-cultural center and providing students with an alternative safe-ride in place of the Prowler, Loyola’s recently terminated transportation service. Hayes’ platform also stresses communication, particularly by reorganizing the campus e-mail system into an online bulletin board or an online calendar, instead of the distribution of Campus E-Mails, which she believes students often delete.
Mills emphasized her ability to have developed productive relationships with her constituents, as well as with students and campus organizations. Her platform includes making students’ Degree Plan Course Log available through LORA and creating a presidents’ council system.
“If elected, I want to help students utilize the campus’ resources that we already paid for with our tuition money. I believe in educating all organizations about the budgetary process so that student fees can be allocated fairly and equitably,” Mills said.
She said she also aims to increase the amount of free newspapers on campus and to integrate the upcoming multi-cultural center into campus life through student and academic affairs.
Mathew Kropp, psychology sophomore and Arts and Sciences representative, was elected the next Arts and Sciences president. Kropp’s campaign platform is to improve communication between the college’s departments and to promote Jesuit ideals. He is involved in campus organizations including LUCAP, BSU, Phi Kappa Psi and Ambassadors.
“As my first A&S president initiative, I’m ready to go forth and make a smooth transition to work with others and to implement new ideas with existing ones,” Kropp said.
Despite a disappointing loss for English literature freshman and Arts and Sciences representative James Burleson-Porras, Kropp’s opponent, he expressed his praise for Kropp’s victory.
“I’ve seen Matt at his best, and I’ve been thoroughly impressed with his work on SGA,” Burleson-Porras said. “I am slightly disappointed for my loss, but there is always next year and I still intend to be involved in the College of Arts and Sciences.”
Other SGA election winners include Christian Waktins, a marketing junior and the next president of the College of Business Administration, and Melanie Rahman, a music sophomore and next president of the College of Music.
Communications junior and Arts and Sciences representative Patrick McDermott said he believes that, despite his loss in the vice presidential race, the campaigning process was a beneficial learning experience. He said that the SGA election allowed him to learn and interact more with various campus groups. He also said that the elections pushed him to further develop proficient public speaking skills and to expand his ideas. McDermott remains positive about his future involvement with university organizations.
“There’re so many people running, and there’re only so many positions offered. Some people are going to get left out, but there are always other opportunities for students to become involved,” McDermott said.
This year’s voter turnout was much higher than in past years, according to Chris Cameron, director of the Danna Center and Student Activities, Coby Nathanson, drama communications senior and chief justice of the Court of Review, and Renee Bou-Waked, political science sophomore and commissioner of elections.
The two-day elections brought in more than 1,200 voters, which represent 36 percent of the entire Loyola student body. Thirty-six percent of students voted from the College of Arts and Sciences, 34 percent voted from the College of Business, 44 percent voted from the College of Music and one percent voted from City College.
“All the candidates did an excellent job in campaigning and making sure students came out to vote,” Nathanson said. “They spurred a great deal of interest in the student body, and it’s reflective in the number of voters.”
Lan Bui can be reached at [email protected].
