On Friday, February 2, 2024, the Southwestern University student body used their voice to decide who would represent them in the Southwestern Student Government Association (SGA).  

This Spring 2024 Special Election was due to December graduations and remaining vacancies that left several positions vacant. This election will allow the Student Government to replace those spots and increase productivity.

“With several of our key positions left unfilled, SGA just won’t be as effective,” explained current First-Year Representative Ethan Wilcox. 

The SGA is a student-led organization headed by President Bryce Stiemart, class of 2025. Its mission is to represent the interests and concerns of the student body, consider student perspectives when reviewing possible new campus policies, and connect students to faculty and administrators. By voting, students express what campus issues matter most, and what they want to see changed.

The ballot was emailed to all students as a Google Form, allowing students to vote for class representatives, member-at-large representatives, and vice president. In an attached Google Document, each candidate offered a short campaign statement.

The vacant first-year representative seat was the most competitive, with three candidates running. An appointed member-at-large representative incumbent, Cameron Comiskey, ran and promised to focus on the environmental conditions of the campus by operating within SGA’s Sustainability Committee His opponents, Bree Dang and Devin Yu, both focused on a greater sense of campus community.Yu suggested a possible feedback system to increase satisfaction with on-campus dining and more campus-wide events. 

Unopposed candidates for the remaining representative seats found varying levels of success. Gary Sunderland, who was running for sophomore representative, pledged to do “something beneficial.” Junior representative candidate Jenny Pham suggested community events and more ways to get involved. Fellow junior representative candidate Dugan Sexton promised stronger relations between SGA and the student body.  Dang and Yu also ran for the member-at-large position.

Another contested race was for the vice presidency. In their statements, candidates Kathryn Altman and Racquel King both explained their prior experience in student government, expressing their qualifications and abilities to do well in the significant position. King described her leadership and planning skills, citing her strong sense of organization and attention to detail. Altman, a former Senior Representative, detailed her various positions in student government and different committees. Both candidates expressed their desire to enact positive change on campus and improve the student experience.

Spring 2024 Special Election results released on the Student Government Association website on Monday, February 5th. They are detailed as follows:

First-Year Representative Special Election – 44 votes cast (estimated 9.59% First-Year turnout)

Elected – Devin Yu (45.45% | 20 votes)

Cameron Comiskey (43.18% | 19 votes)

Bree Dang (11.36% | 5 votes)

Sophomore Representative Special Election – 22 votes cast (estimated 6.49% Sophomore turnout)

Elected – Gary Sunderland (100% | 22 votes)

Junior Representative Special Election – 27 votes cast (estimated 9.18% Junior turnout)

Elected – Jenny Pham (92.59% | 25 votes)

Elected – Dugan Sexton (48.15% | 13 votes)

Member-At-Large Representative Special Election – 111 votes cast (estimated 7.63% student turnout)

Elected – Bree Dang (48.65% | 54 votes)

Already Elected (cannot win a second seat) – Devin Yu (76.58% | 85 votes)

Vice Presidential Special Election – 113 votes cast (estimated 7.77% student turnout)

Elected – Kathryn Altman (85.84% | 97 first choice votes | 17 second choice votes)

Racquel King – (14.16% | 16 first choice votes | 90 second choice votes)

Senior turnout was estimated at 5.8%. And overall turnout is estimated to be 8.32%, a 6.26% decrease from last election.