While there were 15 Student Association senate seats open this semester, only nine of them are now filled. Since no candidates ran for the other six seats, they will remain unfilled this semester. Next fall, it’s possible that some of the seats left empty will be filled through appointment by the Vice President.
Some students appeared on the ballot. other ran as write-in candidates. Any TU student can mount a write-in campaign.
Winning such a campaign is similar to being nominated for a position rather than actually winning one according to Brittany Johnston, SA’s Executive Director of Elections and Policy. The candidate does not automatically get the position. It’s just available to them if they speak with the Vice President about their duties and agree to the conditions to which the other candidates had to agree.
Some Senate seats represent one of TU’s six different colleges. Only three are filled: the College of Arts and Sciences, College of Engineering and Natural Sciences and College of Business. The first two were uncontested, and the third had a write-in campaign. The College of Health Sciences, Graduate School and College of Law are all without senators.
The residence halls and apartments are each entitled to two seats, and both constituencies are fully represented. Since only two candidates ran for each of these constituencies, all candidates were guaranteed to win.
Greek housing, entitled to one seat, and commuters, entitled to two two, did not field any candidates.
Both at-large seats are filled. One candidate appeared on the ballot, and one ran a write-in campaign.
According to Brittany Johnston, such low competition is not unusual for spring. She credits the spring semester with low participation, stating that students generally opt to run in the first semester since they are “less over committed in the fall and willing to try new things and add them to the schedule.”
