The student body elected Jackson Smith as SGA President after 760 students voted Tuesday in Bennett Campus Center.
Runoff elections will be held for Vice Presidential candidates Matt Gibson and Carson Panovec. According to Josh Roberts, Dean of Student Development, candidates for President, VP, Secretary and Treasurer are required to achieve 50 percent of the total vote. Because no VP candidate achieved 50 percent, the top two candidates will appear in a runoff election on Thursday from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m.
Vince Law was voted as Secretary. Sarah Lavoie ran unopposed for Treasurer.
Zach Eccleston, Lauren Gardiner, Carter Hilliard, Janie Lynn Lankford and Ellen Taylor were elected as senior senators.
Lincoln Bell, Gabby Cannone, Rebecca Robertson, Carson Ford and Sam Hearn were elected as junior senators.
Rachel Blue, Ralston Drake, Emilee Goss, Bailey Query and Sierra Sparks were elected as sophomore senators.
In the SGA Debate Monday night, Smith said in his role as President he plans to engage student life more and make campus more convenient for current students.
“I’d like to bridge a gap between the Joshua Project and student life to make a mentorship program for students who have gone through disciplinary procedure,” Smith said in the debate. “I’d like to plant seeds to actually be able to help them in the future.”
Smith said he also hopes to give students with ideas a voice in administrative meetings.
“I know a lot of times students have ideas but often get caught up in a paper trail working with administration,” he said. “I want to give students the opportunity to say, ‘this is something we’re passionate about, what do we need to do?’”
Additional reporting by Katie Bianchini
Photo by Erin Franklin