Campaign Wrap-Up

Last night, when election commissioner Corey Cooling delivered the news that Tom and Blake had done the unthinkable and toppled KaLeigh and Alicia in the runoff election, all of those in attendance went silent. There wasn't even a roar of cheering or applause from the winning candidates' campaign team. No one knew what to do or how to react, because, with all due respect to Tom and Blake, no one thought they'd be able to pull it off after finishing second last week to KaLeigh and Alicia in the first election.

But somehow, in a week where almost everyone seemed to think the outcome of the runoff was a foregone conclusion, Tom and Blake proved that you can never underestimate an underdog.

So what happened? Your guess is as good as mine. KaLeigh and Alicia, after coming so close to obtaining a majority of the votes in the first election, saw their vote total drop by 137 in the runoff. Tom and Blake, on the other hand, retained all of their votes from the first election and saw their vote total increase by 118 in the runoff, allowing them to overtake KaLeigh and Alicia by a mere 14 votes. People like to roll their eyes when that old "every vote matters" adage gets tossed around but, in this case, it was true.

You can speculate all you want trying to figure out what KaLeigh and Alicia may have done wrong or what Tom and Blake may have done right, but the end result is all that matters. More than a few people present at the announcement last night had flashbacks to 2011, when a surprising election outcome was discovered to be the result of an egregious miscount in the votes, but the results of this runoff election were automated, removing the possibility of human error. So whether you want to believe it or not, the votes have all been tabulated and Tom and Blake are your next student body president and vice president.

Now, this will be my last post as the writer of this blog, so I thought I'd take this opportunity to personally address each of the candidates and offer up a few final thoughts on their campaigns as we close the book on this election season.

Tom and Blake
Wow. You did it! When defeat appeared imminent, you refused to give up. You kept your voters engaged and even managed to pull in a few extra votes, enough to put you over the top. You proved all the doubters wrong, and I tip my hat to you. Bravo! But once the honeymoon is over, you've got some work to do. I have no doubt that you are both capable of handling the responsibilities that come with being student body president and vice president, but I've been critical of your platform and you both know it (and even responded to it). I think you do have a lot of great ideas, but I also think there are some areas of your platform with room for improvement. I look forward to seeing you work with the current administration to ensure there is a smooth transition and that NISG continues to be a positive, engaging and active representative for students. You've got your work cut out for you, but I can't wait to see what you both have in store for this campus.

KaLeigh and Alicia
There is losing, and then there is losing in a runoff election by 14 votes after being a few percentage points away from certain victory in the first election. I can't imagine what either of you is going through right now, but I would hate for either of you to let this defeat get the better of you. You are both still leaders on this campus and your work in NISG is far from over. As the current student body vice president and the Director of Diversity and Student Life, make the most of the time you have left, and maybe, when you're able to put this election behind you, even consider applying for cabinet positions next year. I would urge you to work together with Tom and Blake to ease the transition between administrations and ensure that the goals and objectives from this year's administration are also priorities for the future. I know that it hurts right now and that throwing in the towel might seem like the easiest option, but you'd be doing a disservice to this student body if you didn't continue to be strong, outstanding student leaders.

David and Katie
I received a bit of flack for criticisms of your campaign that were perceived by some as ignorant or bigoted, but I want you to know that, out of all three of the tickets, I thought you were by far the most fearless. You weren't afraid to speak your mind and I respect you for that. You didn't shy away from the issues that were most passionate to you, even if those issues appealed more to the minority than the majority. Some might point to that as your downfall, but I think your willingness to stand behind what you believe is something to be proud of. And I know that, as student leaders on this campus, this election will be nothing more than a small stumble in your pursuit of accomplishing the goals and objectives laid out in your platform. I doubt that this will be the last we hear of David and Katie. I would also like to take a moment to commend Katie for how she handled herself during the election after suffering an unimaginable personal tragedy.

I would also like to congratulate the men and women who will hold a seat in senate next year. Your positions in NISG are arguably as important as the president and vice president, and I wish you good luck! You are all going to be important student leaders on this campus and I urge you to not take for granted the tremendous opportunity you've been given.

As I bring this final post to a close, I'd like to also take a moment to recognize Kari Braumann. Kari is the executive editor of the Northern Iowan (and the editor for this blog) and she does not get nearly the credit she deserves for all of the hard work and dedication she brings to this university. I want to thank her so much for the opportunity to write for this blog, because it really has been a fantastic experience and I am grateful to her for it.

Thank you to everyone who has been reading this blog over the past couple weeks! And thank you to everyone who voted! NISG is a very important but undervalued part of this university and I hope that those of you who followed the election this year continue to encourage your peers to take an active interest as well.

With that said, this is Blake Ruane, signing off. See you in the funny papers.

BREAKING NEWS: Runoff Election Results Are In!

Election commissioner Corey Cooling has announced the results of the runoff election -- and Tom and Blake will be your new student body president and vice president! After finishing second in votes to KaLeigh and Alicia in last week's election, Tom and Blake were able to stage a stunning comeback and claim victory in the runoff election. They deserve a lot of credit for not giving up when they were down.

Final Runoff Election Results
Tom Madsen and Blake Findley, 709 votes (50.5%) Elected
KaLeigh White and Alicia Jessip, 695 votes (49.5%)

In the runoff election for the final senate seat in the Graduate College, Ellie Hail was able to beat out Michelle Czarnecki, tallying 28 votes against Michelle's 22.

Congratulations to all of tonight's winners! I'll be posting a final campaign wrap-up tomorrow. Thank you to everyone who has been following the blog!

Who is Eric Boisen?

All is quiet on the election front, as the runoff looms. You could feel the anticipation last week, but everything seems to be at somewhat of a standstill this week. It'll be interesting to see the decrease in total votes after the runoff, since interest in the election appears to have dropped significantly.

Just a reminder that voting will begin on MyUNIverse tomorrow morning at 8 a.m. and then close at 5 p.m. on Wednesday. The results of the election will be announced Wednesday night at the bottom of the Grand Staircase in Maucker Union.

With so little excitement in terms of the runoff election, I thought it might be a nice change of pace to turn the spotlight toward the senate, specifically Eric Boisen. Eric was elected to the position of senator for the College of Social and Behavioral Sciences in last week's election, but I first took notice of Eric for what he did before he was elected.

In the weeks leading up to the election, Eric was passing out buttons and posting campaign profile pics and cover photos to Facebook. Unlike a lot of his fellow candidates, Eric was actually campaigning, and I was a bit taken aback by that.

Much of this blog, in the few weeks of campaigning, has been devoted to the presidential/vice presidential election, with the senate elections forced to take a seat on the back burner. So, in an effort to shine some light on what it means to be an NISG senator, I thought I would take this opportunity to ask Eric a few questions and pick the brain of an enthusiastic senator who seems to take his role in student government very seriously.

Q: Why run for senate? What does that position mean to you?
Eric: I actually ran for senate last year, but being the uninformed freshman I was, I was totally unprepared for the election. I had no idea what I was doing. I wasn't too sure on what NISG even did, and lost pretty handily in the election. I really didn't want that to keep me down though, and I made a decision after that election that I was going to run again. The position of NISG senator means a lot to me, but mainly it means that I am the voice of the students of the CSBS and that I represent UNI. I really love UNI, and in the brief two years I have been here, it has helped me grow in more ways than I can think of. The opportunities UNI has given me have helped me grow so much as a person. Being a part of NISG is just a small way to help give back to the college that has helped me so much.

Q: You were one of the few senatorial candidates who had promotional material on Facebook (i.e. profile pics, cover photos, etc.). You even made campaign buttons! Why put so much effort into it when your fellow candidates don't seem to do the same?
Eric: As I said, I ran last year and lost pretty bad. I wanted to make sure this year that that didn't happen again. You could say I over-prepared for this election. I've always wanted election buttons, so I decided to get some, and the chalking I did was to get my name out there. It was after I was done chalking that I found out that there were only two people on the ballot for three seats in the CSBS. When it comes to the Facebook banners, I enjoy making things like that (though some were crudely made), and just had fun with it. I wouldn't have done all the stuff I did with campaigning if I didn't enjoy doing it, just like I wouldn't have ran if I didn't enjoy it here at UNI. The other senate candidates were smart; they probably spent less time/money on their campaigns than I did and still got elected. But I would not change a thing I did.

Q: What are your goals for your first term as a senator?
Eric: I want to spend my first term as senator making good connections with the other senators, the future president and VP and their cabinet. The better relationship that the senators have with each other and the administration will make the year much more productive and enjoyable for everyone. I also want to make sure we get funding for as many organizations and events as possible. I would love to see UNI change from a "suitcase campus." That is a big goal, something that would take many years to change, but I would like to be part of the senate that starts to change that.

Q: For those who not know, can you explain why senate is so important?
Eric: The senate is where you go if you have an organization that you want recognized by the university or if an organization needs funding. If you have an event you or your organization wants to put on, then senate is where you should go. It is the voice of the students to the student body president and vice president. They bring up concerns that students have about things going on with the university. Just like the United States Congress, we keep the executive branch in check.

I hope that, after hearing from Eric, you have a greater understanding of what it means to be senator and maybe you'll even consider running for a position in your college next year!

So... What Now?

Imagine putting in over two weeks of sweat, blood and tears and then, on the night that all of your hard work is supposed to pay off, you're told that you'll have to wait another week. This is the situation that KaLeigh & Alicia and Tom & Blake now find themselves in after neither of them were able to obtain more than 50 percent of the votes in this week's presidential/vice presidential campaign, resulting in a runoff election that will take place on Tuesday and Wednesday. So what are the candidates doing in anticipation of the runoff?

Let's find out!

Interview with Blake Findley
Q: What are your plans in the days leading up to the runoff election?
Blake: We plan to spend a lot of time connecting with students, especially those that originally voted for David and Katie. Hearing students' opinions on NISG and figuring out how we can answer many of their concerns continues to be an important part of our campaign. Our plans are to regroup and push very hard the last few days of the election, connecting with those those who had supported us in the original election and those who have not voted yet.

Q: You were second in votes to KaLeigh and Alicia. How do you intend to make up that ground?
Blake: We plan on being visible to all students not only in our meeting with student organizations, but in our day-to-day activities on campus and tabling. We hope to get our campaign team to really focus on getting everyone out to vote, regardless of who they vote for. We encourage all students to come talk to us whether in class, tabling, or if you see us in the Union or across campus. Also, students should feel free to contact us via email, our website or any other media possible.

Q: What have you learned over the past two weeks that will help you through this final week?
Blake: The past two weeks have illustrated how powerful a team can be. With the right dynamic and a balanced skill set, a group of people can do pretty much anything. As Margaret Mead once said, "Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world. Indeed, it is the only thing that ever has." Our campaign team has epitomized this quote as we have overcome several obstacles that were beyond our control and still managed to obtain 33 percent of the vote. If elected, we hope to take this knowledge to our selection of our cabinet, so we can better serve the university. We have also learned how incredible the students are at our university. Time and time again, we have had several random students congratulate us or wish us luck. Sometimes we'll have students ask us how we've been doing or when we've last eaten (faculty and staff, too). We've also been able to meet so many more students than we previously knew, all of whom reinforce the belief that the students at UNI are the best students.

Q: Why you? Why are you two the best candidates to lead and represent this student body?
Blake: The election has had excellent candidates, but we bring a more diverse array of experiences to the table. Our significant NISG experience, in conjunction with our leadership roles in several other areas of campus, will allow us to better serve the students of the University of Northern Iowa. We have several ideas we want to try to implement to bring greater transparency and accessibility, sustainability and inclusivity to our great campus and will work to the best of our ability to see those through.

Interview with KaLeigh White
Q: What are your plans in the days leading up to the runoff election?
KaLeigh: Over the next few days we would like to continue meeting with students and spreading the word about voting on March 5 and 6. We are very thankful for the support we've received over the last two weeks and we hope to keep hearing from more students. We really want everyone to be informed voters and we are extremely thankful for every chance we get to talk with other students.

Q: You had the most votes, but failed to get 50 percent. How do you intend to build off of that?
KaLeigh: We are very happy about how the first part of campaigning went and so we hope to build off of that same foundation. We need those who voted in the first election to vote again and also help encourage their friends to vote. We think this runoff election really demonstrates how important every single vote is and we hope that will help motivate people to stay involved.

Q: What have you learned over the past two weeks that will help you through this final week?
KaLeigh: Over the last two weeks we have learned to just keep talking to people. There is an endless amount of ideas and passion on this campus and we really would like to capture that in the work we do. I think it is also important to just stay positive. We have been inspired by all of the support we have received over the last two weeks. Even though the process may be stressful at times, we are reminded every single day why we are running and that is because we love this university community. There are so many amazing and powerful students on this campus and we want to help them however we can.

Q: Why you? Why are you two the best candidates to lead and represent this student body?
KaLeigh: Alicia and I believe that our experience, dedication and passion set us apart. During my time as student body vice president and Alicia's time as executive director of diversity and student life, we have learned a lot and made extensive connections on campus and in the state. We have the experience that will allow us to make the most of our time in office. The year goes by very fast, which makes our experience and knowledge even more important, as it will allow us to be as efficient and effective as possible. Most importantly, Alicia and I are genuinely dedicated to serving UNI students. We care a lot about this campus and we only want the best for it. We will give everything we have to the jobs to assure that UNI students feel connected to and proud of their university.

And there you have it! The week between the first election and the runoff election is somewhat of a strange time. You've probably seen updated profile pics and cover photos being posted on Facebook, but other than what, what else can the two tickets do? For Tom and Blake, you've a got a week to close a gap of more than 200 votes, while also maintaining the votes they've received the first time around. And KaLeigh and Alicia, despite getting the most votes in the first election, need to hold their tenuous lead without dropping their vote total and allowing Tom and Blake to pull ahead. It is a slippery slope, to the say least. Everyone involved is exhausted and overworked, and I'm sure the days leading up to the runoff will be stressful for both of the tickets.

I have also received word from David and Katie and been informed that, in the interest of continuing to encourage student voices, they will not be endorsing a ticket. So, without an official endorsement, it'll be interesting to see where the votes for David and Katie will go in the runoff election.

Keep checking back for more coverage on the runoff election!

Graduate College Senate Runoff

I've reached out to both of the tickets that will be competing in Tuesday and Wednesday's presidential/vice presidential runoff election, but neither of them have gotten back to me yet in regards to their campaign plans for the next couple days. So, until I hear from them, I thought we might spend some time on the other runoff election that will be taking place between Michelle Czarnecki and Ellie Hail, the senatorial candidates who tied with 7 votes for the final seat in the Graduate College.

Only members of the Graduate College will be eligible to vote in this particular runoff election, so if you're a voting graduate student, I would advise you to read the interviews below and take a look at what each candidate has to say!

Interview with Michelle Czarnecki
Q: Why run for senate?
Michelle: Ironically enough, I was encouraged to run for senate by Ellie [Hail]. We share a passion for getting students involved on campus, whether that is through their academic work, structured student organizations or social justice initiatives. [Ellie] had served on NISG this past year, and when we were discussing the open Grad College positions, I mentioned that I might be interested in running for one, as I believe NISG has many resources they can continue to utilize for the benefit of UNI as an entire community. As I did not graduate from UNI for my undergrad, I thought running for senate would give me a better sense of how the campus culture works, so that in turn when I am engaging my peers, I can offer ideas that would apply to the populace rather than working off assumptions. Additionally, I am always excited by the number of UNI students who want to make a difference on campus, and I would love to get involved with that group of individuals as well.

Q: What makes you the most qualified candidate for the position?
Michelle: As a grad student studying Student Affairs, I am gaining quite a bit of knowledge about the inner workings of the college campus and administration, which I believe would be helpful in serving as a senator. Indeed, Ellie and I are also creating our own readings-based course in order to learn more about law and policy in higher education, which would prove extremely relevant to a role with NISG. Since I have never served on a student governing association, I would also bring a fresh perspective on any and all workings of the organization, and since one of my strengths is learning, I would be able to do so keeping the history of NISG in mind and its laws and ordinances.

Q: What goals would you have as a senator for the Graduate College?
Michelle: My goals would be threefold: 1. Coordination with the graduate college (the graduate life coordinator, the Graduate Student Advisory board) to voice the concerns and requests of graduate students from all departments, of all ages, and of all levels of involvement; 2. Champion open communication about inclusivity, diversity and the political process; 3. Work to promote opportunities for students to get involved with their passions in order to prepare them for the rest of their lives.

Interview with Ellie Hail
Q: Why run for senate?
Ellie: I saw that there were open seats, and I thought why not? Michelle and I are good friends, so we decided to both run!

Q: What makes you the most qualified candidate for the position?
Ellie: I would say we are both evenly qualified in our different experiences and skill sets. I have NISG experience in the last year, serving as the Director of LGBT Affairs for Jordan and KaLeigh. I served as a student leader in my undergrad at UNI in the student organization UNI Proud as President/Co for two years.

Q: What goals would you have as a senator for the Graduate College?
Ellie: If elected, I would focus on representing the three groups I represent at UNI: graduate students, student affairs and the LGBT community. I would support graduate students by representing their interests when bigger issues come to a vote in senate, issues that affect our education as a whole, such as tuition set-aside and tuition increases. I would support student affairs and student development by making sure the dollars students are spending go to the right departments in the right amounts. I would also encourage the senate to focus on student development when deciding on the funding of student organizations and events. Finally, I would support the LGBT community by continuing to push for appropriate services and resources for LGBT students on campus. The Campus Climate Survey, institutional research recognized by UNI, clearly shows that LGBT students do not have the same experience at UNI as their heterosexual and cisgender peers, and UNI needs to wake up and fix that!

There you have it! In the words of the two competing candidates -- who even appear to be friends! Be sure to vote for either Michelle or Ellie on Tuesday or Wednesday if you're a student in the Graduate College. Keep checking back for more coverage on both of the runoff elections!