Senators elected to five positions

Students elected new senators for the upcoming Student Government Association term which begins in the fall.

About 200 students voted during the two-day event, officials said.

Students were able to choose a candidate from the ballot or write in their own choice.

Elections for officer positions and colleges are held each spring; freshmen and housing complex senators are elected in the fall.

Business and Technology

Three students were elected during the most contested race for the College of Business and Technology.

Lloyd Blondin, 21, a sophomore finance major received 25 votes; Cameron Leger, 21, a junior marketing major received 31 votes; and Christa Wilke, 20, a junior marketing major received 23 votes.

Arts and Sciences

The senators for the College of Arts and Sciences are: Adam Booth and Zac White.

Both Booth and White ran as write-in candidates.

Booth received four votes and White received six votes.

ENGINEERING AND COMPUTER SCIENCE

The senators-elect for the College of Engineering and Computer Science are Dana Bell and Kortlan Porter.

Both Bell and Porter ran as write-in candidates receiving one vote each.

EDUCATION AND PSYCHOLOGY

The senators elected to represent the College of Education and Psychology are Heather Davis and Jamie Newburn.

Davis ran as a write-in candidate and received two votes. Newburn received 11 votes.

NURSING AND HEALTH SCIENCES

The senators-elect for the College of Nursing and Health Sciences are Mikal Huff and Natalie Wade.

Huff, a freshman nursing major from Big Sandy, received 53 votes.

Wade, a junior health and kinesiology major from Tucson, Ariz., received 49 votes. VOTING PROCESS EXAMINED

The Patriot Talon discovered the election ballot limited students to two votes for college senators even though three seats were to be filled.

Ona Tolliver, the director of Student Life and Leadership, said the SGA has set a precedence which establishes opportunities for students to vote for two open senate seats and one vote for officer positions.

She said the rule is stated in the SGA bylaws, which is slated for review during the 2009-2010 academic year. She said the issue about the number of votes the students get should be addressed at that time.

The election code and bylaws obtained by the Talon do not address the number of votes students are allowed only that three seats would be available for each college.

Empty seats may be filled through appointment by the SGA general assembly.

Students can visit the SGA website for more information.

Past elections covered by the Talon showed students voted for all three positions.

The SGA also did not post the total number of votes with the election results.

The Patriot Talon had to specifically ask for the votes for each candidate for inclusion in this story.

By Aaron May Staff Writer