Victory!

The UWM Student Association elections have ended, and Brent Johnson and I, as well as the rest of the ASAP party have succeeded! After a hard fought campaign, our dedication to student empowerment, our impassioned party, and our ample knowledge propelled us to victory.

As of now, the vote totals are still being configured. ASAP ran four write in candidates for L&S, as well as one for Nursing. We are hopeful that at least two or three will get in. Not including possible write-in senators, ASAP ran 30 candidates and took 30 seats out of a total of 33 seats contested. Brent and I received "around 800 votes" out of a total of "around 1600 votes" and won by a margin of "about 400 votes." Again, these numbers are just preliminary.

I remember beginning this blog over a year ago with a vision for SA. I knew I wanted to accomplish big things, and I never stopped coming up with innovative ways to achieve them. (some more realistic than others) As the months rolled on, I spent most of my time paying close attention to how Travis and Angela operated, and soaking up institutional knowledge like a sponge. Although I knew I wanted to run for SA President from way back, I swore to myself I would be truly qualified by the time I did. I can honestly say that at the moment I hold myself qualified to serve the students of UWM, and I cannot wait to hit the ground running.

This victory would have been impossible without the support of many people, but more than anyone, I owe the wonderfully passionate and articulate members of ASAP a lifetime of thanks.

A special thanks goes out to my running mate Brent Johnson, whose tireless dedication and drive bordered on obsession, and to Rick Banks, official ASAP Party Chair, and future Speaker of the Senate. I believe Rick worked harder than anyone, staying around long after everyone went home, and arriving before anyone in the morning.

I'm going to keep this short, but I'd like to reaffirm my belief that transparency in the SA is instrumental, and that one of the best ways to allow students access to knowledge is simply to keep a blog, so..I plan on keeping one through my presidency.

I look forward to relaxing a bit for the next few weeks, and then June 1st, the fun begins!