Twenty-one candidates have been elected to the Student Senate.
BY BRAD BYRNE, EDITOR-IN-CHIEF
On Oct. 3, the results for the Fall 2022 Student Senate Election were certified and revealed to the Mason student body.
21 candidates were elected to the Student Senate, with 865 voters participating, surpassing the vote of the last three fall elections. Thirty candidates and one write-in candidate participated in the election.
The election resulted in a tie for the 22nd open seat, where a runoff election will take place on Oct. 6 between Ben Gallimore and Xia Parkes to determine who will fill that seat.
Freshman Jackson McAfee ran an interactive campaign, hosting a Coffee with the Candidates at Wilkins Plaza with fellow candidate freshman Max Applbaum. Both were elected to the Student Senate.
“The Mason student body has spoken, and I could not be more honored by their choice. I want to thank everyone who’s supported me, from my friends to my family, to you, the Mason community. I look forward to serving you in the Student Senate and advancing the initiatives I was elected upon.” said McAfee.
McAfee stated that he would be here for the student body, “To my fellow students, know that I will always be a resource at your disposal and will be a listening ear for your concerns and ideas. To my new student government colleagues, know that I intend to work hard and enact change for the greater Mason community. Time to get to work.”
Applbaum was also grateful to be elected to the Student Government, “On the topic of my election, I am extremely grateful. For those who voted for me, for those who helped me during the campaign, and to all my fellow candidates, I am grateful.” said Applbaum.
However, Applbaum was disappointed that most students did not know an election was taking place, “I spent time campaigning as my fellow candidates did, and during my time the discussions I had with students of Mason, one on one, were very revealing. Students from their first to their third and fourth years at Mason did not know there was an election going on if they even know of the Student Government’s existence. This, to me, was immediately problematic for these ideals Student Government stands for. How can a body be representative if most people don’t vote or know what Student Government is and does?”
With that said, he is optimistic about his time in the Student Senate, “For these reasons, I am optimistic. It may seem backwards. I see massive problems, possible misrepresentation, and a necessity for increased community outreach. Changes are needed, and people willing to work towards the change are needed. It will be difficult, no doubt. But working on hard things for the community we all belong to is essential. And I am damn excited to start working on that.”
