The winners of the Student Government Association’s (SGA) elections were announced this week after a runoff election. The runoff election took place in the presidential races for the SGA Executive Board and the Class of 2019 after there was no winning majorities in both of these initial elections.
Anneliese Quinlan won the election for the SGA Executive Board president, replacing the initially declared election’s winner, JW Cook.
The winner of the Class of 2019 presidential race was Rachel Pelsang, who also won the first election, despite not having a 50 percent majority.
LB Hayes and Maddie Faircloth won the Class of 2017 presidential election, while Haylei John and Tyler Holmes won the election for the Class of 2018. These two elections did not require a reelection as both winners received the necessary 50 percent majority in the first SGA election.
Presidential winner Hayes said he was honored to be elected by his fellow classmates.
“I’m really honored to be elected president for the Class of 2017. Senior year is a big year for our class and we have many different events to look forward to,” Hayes said. “And I’m excited to work with everyone in our class to make senior year really special.”
Class of 2019 presidential winner, Pelsang, also showed a similar sense of excitement to be elected into the position.
“I am ecstatic to have been elected president for the Class of 2019,” Pelsang said. “It is a great honor to be trusted to represent the class in the Student Government Association.”
All the elected officials in the SGA elections have a lot planned during their times in office, and Tyler Holmes, Vice President of the Class of 2018, commented on his major plans he has for the upcoming year.
“What I am most excited about is to make prom as much fun as I can, and to listen to the voice of my class and see what they think needs to be changed around campus,” Holmes said.
Hayes also elaborated on some of his plans he would like to implement during his time as president.
“I hope to increase attendance at the senior socials in the Rathskeller on Friday evenings as well as get more of the students’ opinions on what events they want to see for our class. My big push is to leave a lasting impression on St. Bonaventure through our senior gift,” Hayes said. “I think it’s important for us to give back to Bona’s for all that it has given us.”
Some of the winners explained what changes they would like to make to campus, including Pelsang.
“Parking has always been an issue for students. I know it seems like a simple fix to open up overnight parking, but, especially in the winter, it is not possible because the snow removal team needs to plow,” Pelsang said. “I would like to give resident assistants more access to parking though. They are on duty until 3:00 am and it is a safety concern for them to not have access to parking closer to Rob/Fal/Doyle.”
Tyler Holmes also commented on what improvements he would like to make to the Bonaventure campus.
“As of right now I feel that we need to better organize some of the funding for clubs around campus as some receive too much and others too little,” Holmes said. “Being able to be a part of the discussion will help me better understand what needs to be done to make Bonaventure a better place.”
mackreec15@bonaventure.edu
