Results of the Marquette University Student Government senate and the Residence Hall Association council elections were announced Sept. 14 at 12:30 p.m.
In total, 1,816 voters participated in the Sept. 13 election, a 22 percent turnout. That number is up 16 percent from last year, MUSG President Meredith Gillespie said.
“We received similar, if not more interest compared to previous years,” Gillespie said.
Gillespie said there were many newcomers elected to the senate who could help bring new ideas to the organization.
The winners include nine elected senators from residence halls across campus. The position for commuter senator is currently being conducted due to student residential designations changing. The 2018-19 winners are as listed below:
- Ann Bertane for Cobeen Hall senator
- Jamie Crawford for Humphrey Hall senator
- Caroline Mancl for O’Donnell Hall senator
- Sara Weber and Peter Ferider for off-campus senators
- Emily Ford and Gillian Gangluff for Schroeder Hall senators
- Jake Hanauer for Straz Tower senator
- Christian Cruz for Wells St. Hall senator
RHA and Community Programming Council winners are as follows:
- Abbotsford Hall: CPC winners include Michael Quarantra for chairperson, Chris Cranston for vice chairperson, Sam Oswald and Gabriela Padilla for programming coordinators and Grace Frost for RHA representative.
- Apartments East/West: Katie Schulz and Hannah Mauch for chairpersons of east and west respectively.
- Carpenter Tower: CPC winners include Max Zbierowski for vice chairperson and Julia Tavares for programming coordinator.
- Cobeen: CPC winners include Alyssa Spingola for chairperson, Gabriela Lukanus and Shauntia Carson for programming coordinators, Colleen Coveney and Ashmina Agarwal for RHA representatives.
- Eckstein Tower: CPC winners include Kim Enrile and Sarah McCarthy for programming coordinators and Sean Hergenrother for RHA representative.
- Humphrey Hall: CPC winners include Johanna Stadtmueller for chairperson and Renu Venkatesh for vice chairperson.
- Mashuda Hall: CPC winners include Asia Middleton for chairperson, Brianna Paredes for vice chairperson, Emily McGuire and Sharon Song for programming coordinators and Jessica Gomez for RHA representative.
- O’Donnell Hall: CPC winners include Alek Giecewicz for chairperson, Alejandra Longo for vice chairperson, Joel Kakkanad for programming coordinator and Ben McDonald and Lioneal Clay for RHA representatives.
- Schroeder Hall: CPC winners include Richard Hansen as programming coordinator and Karen Collins, Cate Payan and Robert Turek for RHA representatives.
- Straz Tower: CPC winners include Mariah Bentley-Henderson for chairperson and Caroline Short and Miranda Spindt for programming coordinators.
- Wells St. Hall: CPC winners include Kimberly Baeza for chairperson, Abigail Oye for vice chairperson and N’Namdi Carter and Megan Kass for programming coordinators.
Many vacancies, however, still remain in both the MUSG Senate and the RHA Association Council. MUSG legislative vice president Dan Brophy, a junior in the College of Arts & Sciences, said while some of these vacancies have already been filled, there is a process to fill the rest.
“Usually what happens is right after elections happen, people email me and express their interest,” Brophy said. “We send out an application to them. They send it back to me and I usually appoint them.”
Brophy said there has been a good turnout in people emailing for spots.
“I think we’ll have a full senate probably by next Monday,” he said.
Brophy said preparations for elections began in August and election packets were distributed during the first week of school.
“Similar to other fall elections, we tend to get more first-years and sophomores interested in running, which is great. We always love having new voices join MUSG,” Gillespie said.
Ann Bertane, a freshman in the College of Arts & Sciences and newly-elected Cobeen Hall senator, said she is enthusiastic about this opportunity and has ideas on how to use her position to benefit residents.
“I am extremely excited about becoming the Cobeen Hall Senator,” Bertane said. “As a freshman, this experience will be super influential on my personal college experience and I hope to listen to the girls of Cobeen and make it the best possible place to live.”
Gillepsie said she thinks this election cycle will bring in new ideas that will benefit the organization.
“We hope to use this opportunity of welcoming new members to MUSG to reevaluate how well we are representing the Marquette student body,” Gillespie said.
