Nilda Brooklyn and Joy Nair snagged the office of ASUO Executive president and vice president Wednesday, bringing the 2001 election saga to an end.
“I’m glad everything is over,” Nair said. “But we’re ready for the next step.” The election results brought victory to more than just the winning candidates. Both measures on the ballot — OSPIRG’s request for renewed student incidental fee funding and the Multicultural Center’s request for an $18,555 cultural programming fund — also passed, making members of both groups happy.
Voter turnout was close to the same as in the primary election — 9 percent — with only about 1,500 votes coming from a student population of nearly 17,000. The low turnout seemed to be mirrored in the quiet that surrounded the executive office, as only a few people waited for results outside the ASUO doors.
Stephanie Chaney, the ASUO Elections Board public relations manager, said that although the board tried to advertise the election, it was difficult to get out the vote.
“I personally don’t understand why the students as a whole don’t take an active interest in the elections,” she said. “Getting students’ attention is a hard thing to do.”
Brooklyn and Nair waited for the results at the home of their campaign manager Felisa Hagins, along with about 10 other supporters. Close to 6 p.m., nearly an hour after the voting deadline had passed, they received a phone call with the news that they had won.
“We were like ‘Oh my god, we finally did it,’” Nair said.
With 844 votes, the pair beat opponents Bret Jacobson and Matt Cook by 368 votes. Jacobson and Cook received 476 votes.
When contacted, Jacobson declined to comment on the election results.
Brooklyn and Nair said the large number of votes they received, roughly 200 more than they got in the primary, showed how many people stood behind their team. Both said they wanted to thank everyone who supported the pair’s campaign.
“I’m so excited that so many people thought we’d do a good job,” she said.
But the ASUO Executive-elects said that although they’ve won this battle, there’s still much more left to do. They said they are counting on their mentors and alliances to help them prepare for the responsibilities they will have to take on as leaders of the ASUO.
Brooklyn added that in the next few weeks, the pair will begin mapping out next year’s plans and hiring their staff, but they will also take a small break from all the election craziness.
“This election has taken over our lives for the last two months,” she said. “We’re students first, student leaders second.”

For Brooklyn, who is also the ASUO multicultural advocate, this election brought a double-win as the MCC’s ballot measure met with success.
The MCC measure had caused controversy and stopped the election March 6, after five senators filed a grievance against it.
MCC supporter Bola Majekobaje, who was one of the three students that presented the MCC’s case before the ASUO Constitution Court, said the measure’s success was well-deserved.
“A lot of people worked really hard in assuring it would be on the ballot in the first place” she said. “I’m just really happy that all of our hard work paid off and that the student voice was heard loud and clear.”
Andreas Georgiades, co-director of the International Student Association, said that although he was happy the measure passed, he was disappointed at how many people voted against it. While 932 students voted “yes” on the measure, 601 students voted “no.”
“It’s for the benefit of the whole University, not just minority groups,” he said.
OSPIRG came out with an even closer win, snagging 808 students’ votes but being rejected by another 752.
Melissa Unger, state board chair of OSPIRG, said that although the results were not as high as she expected, she is excited for the organization’s long-term success.
“I’m stoked dude … we won,” she said. “We’re going to continue to work for students on issues we care about and students care about.”
Skye Tenney, a Jacobson and Cook supporter who also stood against both ballot measures, was not as excited about the election outcome.
“Thumbs down for everything. Boo,” she said. “Thank God I’m not going to be here next year.”
After a month of grievances and delays, some are just happy that the whole election process has finally come to an end. Randy Newnham, Elections Board office manager, said he will not miss all of his responsibilities.
“I’m very happy that I won’t be spending early mornings blowing up balloons and passing out suckers,” he said.
Brooklyn and Nair said that although there were some struggles along the way, they are excited to finally begin working on all of their campaign objectives.
“This is just the beginning,” Nair said.