Little to no crowd gathered in the student center atrium as the results of the 2019 Student Senate elections were announced. The candidates in attendance were Isaiah Harlan, Emma Hoyhtya, Belal Kherallah, Pierre Paul, Dorian Pena and Robert White.
The other candidates, Andrew Yohanan, Camille Sanders and Megan Brezka, were not present.
Pierre Paul was elected speaker of the assembly with 66.8 percent of votes, Andrea Jara Reyes was elected director of administration with 53.2 percent and Emma Hoyhtya was elected chief of staff with 50.8 percent of votes.
No presidential candidate secured a simple majority, resulting in a runoff election between the ones with the highest percentages, Megan Brezka and Belal Kherallah.
The results of the runoff election will be announced today at 4:30 p.m. in the student center atrium.
After the results, each newly elected senator addressed the problems they wish to fix with their time in Student Senate.
Paul explained about how he wants to bring Student Senate to the forefront of the university.
“Awareness is my big concern,” Paul said. “People simply aren’t aware of what senate does and how important [its] voice is. So I want to speak to groups and clubs on campus to communicate this.”
Hoyhtya sees her victory as a chance to guide students and organizations to come together.
“I want to do everything in my power to bridge those gaps and bring groups together,” Hoyhtya said. “The way I see this happening is to lead by example by co-sponsoring events with different Greek Life organizations or other groups on campus and showing that through teamwork and unity, we can accomplish so much more.”
Reyes seeks to reach out all across the Hilltop in her position as director of administration.
“Being able to communicate effectively with the public is crucial to increasing Senate’s presence on campus,” Reyes said. “I’d like to see us interact with the student body more, and do a better job of connecting our senators with their constituents.”
Additionally, Reyes pressed the importance of SABRC funding.
“Another improvement will be to inform and encourage more student organizations to apply for SABRC funding. It is a great benefit for student organizations and there are some who know nothing about it,” Reyes said.
The Bold and Brave ticket, consisting of Isaiah Harlan, Dorian Pena and Robert White, did not garner many votes, as three out of the four candidates were not elected. The group asked for a recount, seeking clarification.
When asked about the reasoning for the recount, sophomore Isaiah Harlan explained further.
“We are asking for a recount because we believe there may have been bias or some influence in the election,” Harlan said. “We found it strange that the link to vote had been sent out twice.”
