SRU Student Government Association (SRSGA) Parliamentarian Chris Thrasher announced the results of the SRSGA 2023-2024 election on Thursday at the Student Employee Appreciation Celebration.
Ella Bloom, a sophomore majoring in political science: law and politics, was elected president with 335 votes, about 54% of the count. Bloom, who also has an advising in pre-law and a minor in economics, led her opponent by 60 votes.
“I am really excited that the student body trusted me enough to elect me as their president,” she said.
Bloom wants to make SRSGA more accessible for students and feels even she, as a political science student, sometimes has trouble navigating the processes and policies that are supposed to be helpful. She plans to implement town hall meetings, create trainings that help students understand policies and ask what SRSGA can do to give SRU a more diverse, safe campus.
“I thought, ‘you know what, we need change,’ and the best way to do that is to bring a fresh face and some fresh eyes to it,” Bloom said.
Ava Sherwood Erculiani, a sophomore double majoring in biology and political science: pre-law, was elected vice president of academic and student affairs with 154 votes. She ran without her second last name to make it easier to remember.
“I ran a write-in campaign, so I was fortunate enough that people took the time to physically write out my name,” she said. “That means the world to me.”
Sherwood was previously a College of Science & Engineering senator and aims to enhance campus accessibility for students. She is excited to work closely with the deans and organize town hall meetings, and she wants to fix Braille that has been picked off signs around campus.
“I believe that elected officials are public servants,” she said. “Alexis Jones, the current VP, was phenomenal and left big shoes to fill, so I want to serve the student body as best as possible.”
Robbi Austin, a junior majoring in education, was elected vice president of campus outreach with 271 votes, about 45% of the count. She led the runner-up by 134 votes.
She wants to rebuild the personal connection that she feels the university lost when resorting to social media after COVID-19.
Austin also wants to rebuild the SRSGA website to make it more user-friendly and aims to have it finished by the Fall 2023 semester.
Sydney Rezzetano was elected vice president of finance with 361 votes, about 59% of the count. Nikole Husnick was elected vice president of internal affairs with 556 votes, and Liz Hood was elected vice president of diversity and inclusion with 320 votes.
In the SRSGA Senate, students elected four College of Business senators, three College of Education senators, three College of Liberal Arts senators, three graduate senators and two senators for the College of Engineering & Science and the College of Health Professions.
Students also elected two residence hall senators, two commuter senators, a transfer senator, a veteran senator, an athlete senator and an at-large senator. The international senator position remains vacant.
The College of Education, College of Liberal Arts and graduate senators have one vacancy. The College of Engineering & Science and the College of Health Professions have two vacancies, and there are six vacant at-large senator positions.
The newly elected SRSGA will be sworn in during their last formal meeting of the semester on May 1, Austin said.
