White out

Monday’s Student Government Association general elections saw students vote for change—including voting to end incumbent SGA President Jamal Taylor’s re-election bid.
Stanley White, a senior theater arts major from New Orleans, stormed through the general election with 724 votes. Current SGA Vice-President Phillip Wallace finished second with 389 votes to force a runoff with White Wednesday.
“It’s back to the drawing board,” White said. “I’m grateful for everyone’s support and can’t wait for the debate. I want to take the vision and move it to action…‘One Accord’ isn’t just a campaign slogan, it’s a mission.”
Taylor’s 232 votes gave him a third-place finish, but he said he does not see his term as a failure. He is also throwing his support to White in the runoff.
“My administration accomplished many things,” Taylor said. “The Old Women’s Gymnasium is in the process of opening up and paper work has been sent in for direct deposit for students.
“He (White) can do the job without the drama and bickering that the other candidate would bring.”
Phillip Robinson, a junior political science major from Baton Rouge, finished last in the four-man race with 186 votes.
Students will get a chance to ask White and Wallace questions in tonight’s run-off debate. Wallace, a junior political science major from Baton Rouge, said he plans to talk to every student on campus in order to understand what his or her needs are.
“There are a lot of people I have to talk to, get my message out to. I want to shake student’s hand and gain a better understanding of their needs.”
Students gathered in the Smith-Brown Memorial Union just before the polls closed, in anticipation of hearing whom won and whom will make it to the run-off elections.
“It went by so quickly,” said Elections Commissioner Kristal Walls. “We didn’t have a lot of major problems, and all the candidates seemed excited about the process. I hope the students were able to get out and quiz each candidate about their platforms.”
The senior political science major from Monroe hopes the newly elected officials keep their campaign promises.
Terrance Rubin, a junior family and consumer science major from Opelousas, beat rival Rennick Clivens, a senior finance from New Orleans, 209 to 80 in the senior class president elections.
Running on the platform of preparing men for college and beyond, senior therapeutic recreational major from Maringouin Brian Collins’ 359 votes eclipsed Avery Stanley, a junior Chemistry major from Monroe, who grabbed 230 votes.
The position for president of Association of Women Students will see a run-off between Ronisha Johnson, a junior social work major from Baton Rouge (357) and Nona Stewart, a junior mass communication major from New Orleans (326).
“I am proud to have gotten this far,” said Stewart. “The women of Southern University have gone underserved and I want to make sure the female students on this campus have somewhere, someone to talk to.”
If elected, Stewart said one of her first acts of business will be to meet with all the female leaders on campus and assess their needs.
“It feels really good. AWS is something I’m passionate about and I hope everyone comes out to vote again on Wednesday.”
Several positions will not require run-off, including the title of SGA Chief Justice.
“I want to reinstate and reorder the judicial branch of student government,” said newly elected Chief Justice Koi Lomas (880). The junior political science major from Gonzales won over Lauren Fisher (528), a junior marketing major from Baton Rouge.
Winning 656 more votes than his opponent, Langston Williams (1,233) a sophomore Baton Rouge native majoring in mass communications and theater, beat junior criminal justice major from Kankakee, Ill., Craig Burrell (666).
“I’m so excited. I’m prepared to work whomever wins the presidency to bring the stability Stasha Rhodes brought to the senate,” Williams said.
Williams said the fall semester would bring about many changes because as of now, only two current senators will be returning.
Election seats were not the only items on the ballot yesterday. Students voted on three survey questions concerning Chancellor Kofi Lomoety’s performance and one referendum asking students if they wanted a live mascot.
Demetrius Sumner, who yesterday won a spot as sophomore class senator for the fall semester, is the author of the survey.
“We felt the student’s concerns about the performance of the Chancellor—whomever he or she is—were not being heard.” The freshman political science major from Dallas said the survey will appear on the ballot yearly, and smaller, more detailed ones will be available to students and faculty monthly.
The questions asked the students did they agree with Chancellor Lomotey’s leadership skills, visibility and understanding of the issues on campus. Overwhelmingly, the students voted no (895 to 637), (812 to 719) and (1,213 to 317).
“This speaks volumes of the students of this university,” said Sumner. “The students are watching, reading, they are understanding what’s going on and when they walk around Mayberry, or the Union or to their classes and never see the chancellor, they begin to worry.”
Sumner hopes the chancellor reviews the survey that it will affect his policy making.
“The core objective of the survey is to remind the chancellor of the needs of the students and that when he makes policy or sees problems on campus, he will also offer up a solution.”
The final referendum to pass for the night was a Lacumba survey asking students if they wanted a live mascot on campus.
The last time students had a live jaguar on Southern University’s campus was in 2004. Although the jaguar died during that winter break, a bill was presented to the students during the spring 2005 elections asking the students if they wanted to increase their mascot fee from $2 to $7.
The bill failed 1,115 votes to 880.
According to a story reported in the Southern DIGEST in 2005, the university has raised $80,000 compared to the $500,000 then needed to build the 10,000 square foot indoor Lacumba III habitat.
Although he was unable to be reached for t comment, Robinson, the author of the survey, said in an earlier student senate meeting this year that he was unable to get the hard numbers of where the Lacumba fee money was or the current amount in the fund.
However, the bill faces stiff competition from the administration, especially after Chancellor Lomotey has publicly said he does not believe it is humane to keep a live jaguar on campus.
The run-off debate is tonight at 6:30 p.m. in the Royal Cotillion Ballroom of the Smith-Brown Memorial Union. Run-off elections are Wednesday from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. and results will be announced shortly thereafter.