The Results are in . . .

A long-awaited decision surrounding the eligibility of two candidates' seeking offices in this spring's Student Government Association election has at last been delivered after weeks of debate. Brendan Joyce and Jovan Perez, both write-in candidates, have been removed from contention for the highly coveted positions of President and Student Trustee, respectively.

On Tuesday, April 14 a final verdict was issued as motion 58, proposed by the Elections Board to uphold the previous disqualification of the candidates, passed 7-5-0. Requesting to "accept the decision of the Elections Board," the proposition upheld the initial ineligibility of both Joyce and Perez. A "no" vote opposed the findings whereas a "yes" vote accepted the decision made by the Elections Board.

Prior to the final vote on the motion, a debate among the senate paved the way for lively discussion. The board, at one point, looked to the SGA Constitution for review.

Following the review, Senator Lea Serena presented arguments for both sides. She restated Joyce's main points about the questioning of the write-in policy. Joyce felt revisions should have been made prior to the election, if at all. Following that record, she restated the Election Board's stance, speaking about the responsibility they have to ensure candidates abide by rules.

During the debate, the definitions of expulsion, impeachment, removal, and disqualification were also clarified by Senator Serena.

Brooke Parsons, a recently elected Senator-At-Large did not feel that the nature of the language was clear enough to render Joyce and Perez disqualified.

"We should not punish candidates because there was a gray area," explained Parsons.

In spite of the continued controversy that took place during the debate, both Joyce and Perez reminded the gallery and senators that they wanted to keep the discussion professional.

"Let us use the publicity from this election season as a springboard to build a stronger, more cohesive relationship over this noble institution and the students that represent us," pled Joyce.

Additionally, Perez prepared a slideshow presentation to maximize his allotted speaking time. He explained why the disqualification was, in his opinion, unfair, noting that at the SGA meeting that took place on March 31 write-ins were determined to be a viable option.

Sitting Student Trustee Mickey Howard responded to this argument deliberately.

"The election results were not fortified yet," he asserted.

The review of the candidates' eligibility had taken place in response to a request for a recount of the election.

"There are polices that supersede the constitution," Howard further stated.

Raul Vasquez, the new SGA President who was sworn in Tuesday night, described his feelings about the election process as a whole and the added confusion over the write-in possibility.

"I feel that the overall process was handled correctly," said Vasquez. "Some say the votes were finalized, some say it was not handled correctly, but the final decision was the right decision."

Kara Crosson, the new SGA Student Trustee, was also recently sworn in to her position after a hard-fought tug of war with Perez.

"Although the election process this year was stressful for many it was also an exciting time where the students could get involved and voice their opinions," said Crosson optimistically. "I hope that this situation encourages the student body to get involved in student government as it shows the students' voices are heard."

Cindy Kane, the advisor to SGA, hopes this process will facilitate more active participation in leadership.

"Leadership presents the need for responsibility, tough decisions, and hard work," said Kane. "I think the SGA students rose to a challenging occasion and I couldn't be more proud to serve as their advisor.