A no-show at the candidate debates, Keenan Arnold was elected SGA president beating out current Student Trustee Peter Michalczyk by a slim margin in a vote of 236 to 204.
The first online Student Government voter turnout was extremely low as in previous years at El Centro and Carruthers Center for Inner City Studies (CCICS), but higher than last year’s vote on the main campus. Students listed where they took most of their classes. El Centro received 24 responses and CCICS receiving 13 responses, while the main campus received 829 responses. Total number of votes cast was 1v165.
“Best of luck to new administration, but don’t [expletive] it up we worked to get to where are now,” Peter Michalczyk said responding to the election result.
Michalczyk was originally a candidate for Trustee, but had to drop because of a state law the Student Activities Office wasn’t aware of. The law, passed by the Illinois State Legislature in 1999, states a student can not be elected Trustee for more than one term.
“Well it was good while lasted, but I guess now it is over,” remarked Michalczyk to SGA President Eron McCormick as they both walked away from the Student Activities Office where the results were posted.
The other candidates who won were Senate Speaker Kimberly Murphy for Vice President, Michael Cline for Speaker of the Senate, Sunil Mahadeshwar for Student Trustee and Eduardo Arabu Jr. for IBHH-SAC (Illinois Board of Higher Education-Student Advisory Council) for the third year in a row.
“Congratulations to the candidate who won, and I look forward to working with the new staff next year,” said Vice President elect Murphy.
A referendum to implement a $3.00 fee per student, per semester to implement clean and renewable energy technologies on campus passed with more than the required two thirds.
“Lt. Governor Pat Quinn said that if it [the referendum] passed he would come to speak,” said Jeremy Slate, President of the Green Cycle Group.
“There are still three or four seats open for senate, I might appoint Peter as senator that will hold until the fall elections,” said McCormick.
The Election Commission will ratify the election results on April 24.
Details on the election results and the results for senator are in a chart to page 9..