Record turnout; 20 percent vote

The Blue Party doubled its representation on the Michigan Student Assembly to maintain its majority in elections held last week. University students elected 21 representatives to the assembly during two days of polling.

Defend Affirmative Action Party members secured six of the 21 seats and all eight Blue Party candidates were elected. Independent candidates captured seven seats and no members of the Friends Rebelling Against Tyranny Party were elected.

"Now that you're on MSA party affiliation means almost nothing. Personal consideration and individual conscientiousness means everything. The people who won, won because they're great individuals and have to vote that way," MSA President Bram Elias said.

BP now holds 23 of the 49 assembly seats, while independent candidates hold eight seats and DAAP members maintain eight seats. There are four vacant seats on the assembly, which may be filled by appointment in coming months. The Students' Party, which did not enter any candidates in the fall election, holds six assembly seats.

Voting reached a record high for the fall election. After a 15 percent turnout during the 1997 fall election and 10 percent voter turnout during the fall election last year, 4,727 students voted this year. Of the ballots cast, 4,632 votes were cast online, while 95 were paper ballots.

"It's the best we've ever had in fall elections and it absolutely amazes me, especially without posters in Angell Hall. It shows that postering isn't necessary to win elections," Elections and Rules Committee Chair Mark Sherer said.

MSA Vice President Andy Coulouris attributed the distribution of votes to the appeal the different parties and candidates have with University students. DAAP, he said, is largely responsible for the record voter turnout during the election because it brought out students to vote who normally would not have voted. Still, BP can rely on its wide appeal to students, he said.

"BP has a broad appeal," Coulouris said, describing it as a "big tent" party.

But "DAAP has an important role on the assembly, and they send out an important message to the campus."

FRAT Party Chair Ray Howell said he and his party peers are not troubled with the election results, instead, they consider it a jumping off point for the party's political career.

"Of course we are all very sad that none of us were elected but we are happy that we got the votes we did. It shows that the student body really is looking for some kind of change in MSA," Howell said.

"We will be running in the spring election and Galaxor Nebulon, who I believe received 1,700 (points), will run for president. Until then, we will be writing Gargoyle Magazine," Howell said. Nebulon received 1,695 points in the election.

Business students Jeffrey Nzoma, a DAAP member, and independent Jacqueline Woods won the two available Business School seats.

Independent Jeffrey Haag, whose was not a registered candidate, captured the Dentistry School seat.

DAAP member Lanie Anderson, independent Ryan Gregg and BP member Ryan Whiteherse will represent the College of Engineering.

"I'm really excited and proud of the fact that I won but also because DAAP's publicity had a lot to do with a big turnout. I think that whether people were for or against us, it gave them a reason to vote and that's what's important," Andersen said.

Of the available LSA representative seats, two were won by incumbents, Erika Dowdell, a DAAP member and Kymberli Stewart, an independent. The remaining seats went to BP members Siafa Hage, Ross Kirschner, Matthew Nolan, Rodolfo Palma-Lulion, Amit Pandya and Sarah Pray.

"I'm very happy with the results of the election and I look forward to working with the assembly," Kirschner said. "The number of Blue Party people elected is mainly due to the quality of people who ran with the party."

Kiran Devisetty, an independent, won the sole School of Medicine seat and BP member Shaila Guthikonda will represent the School of Music.

Nursing students re-elected independent Jen Seamon as their assembly representative. Rackham students elected DAAP members Jessica Curtin and Kieu-Anh Huynh King along with independent Suzanne Owen to the school's three seats.

Rackham incumbent Josh Trapani lost his re-election campaign but will continue to serve as the assembly's student general counsel and Campus Governance Committee chair, although he will not have voting rights.

Independent candidate Jamie Scott won the School of Social Work seat.

LSA junior Amy Hansen and Engineering sophomore Brent Williams will serve as the two student representatives on the Police Oversight Board, but do not have voting power in the assembly.

A ballot proposal to fund club sports with a $0.25 student fee each semester was approved by more than half of voters.

The assembly will seek approval to use the funds from the University Board of Regents.

LSA-Student Government election results were not available last night.

- Daily Staff Reporter Jeannie Baumann contributed to this report.

Election results

Jeffrey Nzoma (D)

Jacqueline Woods (D)

School of Dentistry:

Jeffrey Haag (I)

College of Engineering:

Ryan Whiteherse (B)

Ryan Gregg (I)

Lanie Anderson (D)

College of Literature, Science and the Arts:

Matthew Nolan (B)

Rodolfo Palma-Lulion (B)

Sarah Pray (B)

Ross Kirschner (B)

Amit Pandya (B)

Kymberli Stewart (I)

Erika Dowdell (D)

Siafa Hage (B)

School of Medicine:

Kiran Devisetty (I)

School of Music:

Shaila Guthikonda (B)

School of Nursing:

Jennifer Seamon (I)

Rackham School of Graduate Studies:

Kieu-Anh Huynh King (D)

Jessica Curtin (D)

Suzanne Owen (I)

Police Oversight Board:

Amy Hansen

Brent Williams

Club Sports Ballot Proposal:

Yes: 1,704

No: 1,269

11-22-99