Editor’s Note: Hannah Taylor works as alumni coordinator at Rocky Mountain Student Media Corporation, which houses The Collegian.
Updated 9/18
Hannah Taylor and Noah Schindler have been elected as the new 2020-2021 student body president and vice president, with Christian Dykson as speaker of the senate for the Associated Students of Colorado State University’s 50th senate.
The presidential campaign won by a margin of 212 votes and had 1,710 votes in total. The Adam Peña and Merry Gebretsadik campaign followed with 1,498 votes, the Diego Tovar and Rachel Jackson campaign with 968 votes and the Jasper Sloss and Mkay Armbrust campaign with 509 votes, according to numbers from ASCSU Elections Committee and CSU’s Office of the Registrar.
“We definitely had good competition this year,” Taylor said. “So were we absolutely shocked? Yes, but it also felt like the most relieving, exciting feeling.”
“We want to shape the system from within so it can achieve the vision that we shared with people of everyone having access to legislation.” -Christian Dykson, speaker of the senate elect
She said that she and Schindler are grateful the students believe in them and the change they are promising to bring to campus.
“The first thing that I think went through both of our minds was that finally we’re able to get in here and do what we’ve been talking about,” Taylor said.
Schindler added that they are not going to forget who they’re fighting for while in office.
Once in office, both have the intent to get started right away on the three platforms they chose to focus on: COVID-19 relief, housing and parking and transportation.
Dykson won the speaker position by a margin of 567 votes with 1,776 votes in total. Lys Taddei followed with 1,209 votes, Tristan Reyez with 719 votes and Kyle Hill with 586 votes.
Dykson explained that his goal is to allow all groups on campus to feel they have a voice and know they have the power to make change.
“We want to shape the system from within so it can achieve the vision that we shared with people of everyone having access to legislation,” he said.
Senators have also been elected for specific colleges:
-Walter Scott, Jr. College of Engineering: Michael Townsend, Albert Marquez
-College of Liberal Arts: Isaac Neivert, Ava McCall, Savanah Overturf, Marie Cusick, Andy Callas, Jackson Hunter
-College of Natural Sciences: Benton Roesler, Daniel Stephenson, Michael Carrillo
-College of Veterinary Medicine and Biomedical Science: Ashley Ambridge, Katie Hammond
“The first thing that I think went through both of our minds was that finally we’re able to get in here and do what we’ve been talking about.” -Hannah Taylor, president elect
This election had a turnout of 15.33% or 4,831 voters. This was down from last year’s record of 26.6%, but Elections Manager Connor Cheadle said that there would either be an overwhelming response or nothing at all, explaining that this percentage falls in between.
“If people are not engaged, they’re not engaged,” Cheadle said. “There’s nothing you can do about that. … I’m happy with the results, and I’m glad that it worked. Especially with the postponement.”
The president and vice president elect and the speaker of the senate will be sworn in once the 49th senate disbands at the end of September.
Laura Studley can be reached at news@collegian.com or on Twitter @laurastudley_.
