The Mesquite Online News - Texas A&M University-San Antonio

SGA will announce officer results Friday

Melissa Quintanilla, accounting senior, is the new SGA president, and Javier Carvajal, Master of Business Administration student, is the new SGA vice president. The two leaders have taken over the duties of the election committee and are working to announce the Cabinet Friday. File photos

By Laura de Leon

Although voting for Student Government Association candidates ended Sept. 27, the results are being withheld as the newly elected president and vice president work out final details of the election.

Jolene Des Roches, director of student life and wellness, said on Wednesday that the full Cabinet will be announced on Friday. Des Roches said that they are holding a “meeting to do the last swear in on Thursday.”

Online voting for SGA candidates began Sept. 24. SGA President Melissa Quintanilla, accounting senior, and Vice President Javier Carvajal, Master of Business Administration student, have taken over the duties of the election committee. The two SGA leaders ran uncontested on a single online ballot.

“They are feverishly working on getting their cabinet members notified and sworn in,” Des Roches said in an email on Monday.

The election committee, which coordinated fall elections, included former SGA President Zaira Rodriguez, Master of International Business student, and Des Roches.

SGA candidates met Sept. 15 to discuss elections procedures under the direction of Rodriguez. Three candidates were not able to attend that meeting.

Meeting minutes distributed Sept. 19 by senatorial candidate and education major Jennifer Faubion provided details on how elections would be organized. A new officer training was to be held Sept. 29 and would run for about four hours, according to Faubion.

Des Roches said because weather conditions on the day of the training not all SGA members were able to attend the Sept. 29 new officer training.

The meeting minutes also provided information on the proposed release of elections results. Elections officials were to pick up the voting boxes on the last day of voting 5 p.m. Sept. 27 and count the paper ballots and post results by 11 a.m Sept. 28. Winning candidates would be given 24 hours to confirm after the results were posted.

SGA made a decision to switch from paper ballots to online voting via Survey Monkey days  prior to the four day voting period, Sept. 24-27. Read related story

Candidates said they were not able to disclose elections results or comment on procedural changes.

Communication junior Priscilla Lopez, who ran for a senator position, said on Monday that she knew details of SGA elections but was not able to release information.

On Tuesday, Quintanilla said that all information about SGA voting will be held until they are ready to announce the results. She said she was not sure if results would be released Thursday or Friday.

Quintanilla said she had an idea of the official voter turnout percentages but said she would prefer to withhold the exact numbers until they are verified. She recommended contacting Des Roches for additional information.

Des Roches said Wednesday afternoon voter turnout numbers were not available.

Carvajal was reached Tuesday and rescheduled an interview for later that afternoon, but was not available at that time.

SGA meetings are scheduled for 4:30 p.m. to 5:30 p.m. every Wednesday. A location was not specified in any documents released by SGA. SGA meeting minutes stipulate that if the time does not accommodate new members, SGA will decide on a new time and update the constitution.

About the Author

Laura de Leon
Laura de Leon is the Campus News Editor for The Mesquite. She reports on Faculty Senate, the Student Government Association and campus growth and development. Laura is a communication-journalism major and minoring in business. A 2005 graduate of Highlands High School, she attended the University of Alaska in Fairbanks and Palo Alto College where she wrote for The Pulse and received associate’s degrees in journalism and liberal arts.

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