DAAP candidates take 9 seats on MSA

By Johanna Wetmore

Daily Staff Reporter

After last week's elections for Michigan Student Assembly, there are two clear leading parties on the assembly.

The Defend Affirmative Action Party gained the most seats this term with nine, bringing their total to 14.

The Blue Party has a total of 20 seats after the election, gaining seven from the election.

The Michigan Party gained four seats and independent candidates gained one seat, adding to its four on the assembly.

Secreto said once the assembly gets into motion, "party lines drop."

"That does not change the dynamics of the assembly," MSA Vice President Jim Secreto said.

Even though Blue Party representative Matthew Nolan received the highest number of weighted ballot votes in the election, he admits the race was tight.

Nolan, an LSA sophomore, may have received the most votes, but fellow Blue Party member and re-elected representative Jessica Cash won the popular vote by a narrow margin of 19 votes.

"This was much more cut throat than last year," Nolan said. "There were fewer candidates this time, but they were more qualified."

Students were allowed to rank their choices in the student government elections giving higher numbers of weighted ballot votes to their more preferred candidates.

Cash, an LSA sophomore, said she is eager to get to work.

"I'm thrilled to have my seat on the assembly, but I am more excited to start my work on my platform issues," Cash said.

Reza Breakstone, University "SuperFan" and newly elected Blue Party member, took the third of eight LSA seats in the Michigan Student Assembly. "I'm fired up to serve on the student body," he said.

Six of the Blue Party's eight spots were LSA seats.

The DAAP swept all three Rackham spots and both Business representative seats, while taking one seat from LSA and the only open seat in each division of Dentistry, Nursing and Medicine.

DAAP party founder and Rackham representative seat winner Jessica Curtin is satisfied with the group's impact on the elections.

Curtin attributes the party's success to the students who "really support the initiatives that DAAP has taken on the assembly."

Newly-elected Michigan party representative Eric Roeder, an Engineering sophomore, was surprised by the low Michigan party success. "It seemed like things were going well," he said.

Roeder and another Michigan party member took two of the three engineering division seats while two other members claimed one LSA seat and the only seat in for the School of Music.

"Part of the problem is we didn't have more candidates running in the smaller schools," Roeder said. "That's what hurt us."

Even though Diego Bernal ran uncontested for the School of Social Work division of the Assembly, he is also the only independent in this year's student government elections to win.

The Blue Party swept all 10 open spots in the LSA-Student Government representative race by a substantial margin and for re-elected representative LSA sophomore Sarah Ray that signals a step in the right direction for the LSA-SG.

Ray acknowledged the competitive nature of the Fall elections with satisfaction.

"I feel great," Ray said. "I worked hard and our party worked hard and every single person deserved it."

The University Engineering Council presidential candidate-elect Robert Krentler said he is glad the race he ran in was contested.

"It makes us have to think about the consequences of running," he said.

Out of the five positions on the Engineering council, the presidency was the only contested spot.

Engineering seniors Jeanine Chan and Matthew Rudnick each picked up an executive board seat as the internal and external vice presidents, respectively.

The positions for secretary and treasurer, which were left off the ballot, remain to be filled in the first meeting of the new year. Krentler hopes fellow presidential candidate Yvonne Wang, an engineering senior, picks up one of the open seats in January.

- Daily Staff Reporter Jane Krull contributed to this report.

Business

Kurt Johnson DAAP 126

Emina Sendijarevic DAAP 110

Flavia Tingling DAAP 9

Suzanne Martin Blue 791

Eric Roeder Michigan 701

Gregory Hayes Michigan 537

Matt Nolan Blue 5,100

Jessica Cash Blue 5,039

Reza Breakstone Blue 4,629

Doug Tietz Michigan 4,330

Javier Restrepo Blue 3,340

Omari Williams Blue 3,295

Erika Dowdell DAAP 3,000

Josh Samek Blue 2,831

Sarah Mohiuddin DAAP 7

Jenny Farney Michigan 40

Dena Fernandez DAAP 22

Jessica Curtin DAAP 421

Nancy Abdel-Khalek DAAP 404

Craig Sutton DAAP 288

Rachel Tronstein Blue 6,618

Julia Nachman Blue 5,671

Lindsey Grebitus Blue 5,532

Sarah Ray Blue 5,330

Kristy Kuncaitis Blue 5,313

Ryan Barrett Blue 4,998

Erin Mackinder Blue 4,752

Magda Bogusz Blue 4,573

Erica Velasco Blue 4,468

President

Robert Krentler 397