A third ticket entered the race for the Minnesota Student Association presidency and vice presidency just under the wire Friday, but it wasn’t in time to gain the fourth and last major campus organization endorsement.
Derek Shemon, a sophomore in the College of Agricultural, Food, and Environmental Sciences, and Jason Strid, a sophomore in the Institute of Technology, filed for candidacy on the last possible day. Sunday night, members of the Residence Hall Association voted to rally around presidential candidate Corey Donovan and running mate Kiaora Bohlool, bringing the pair’s total endorsements to two.
“I think that RHA realizes that we’re the group that’s going to vote with them and be a resource for them,” Donovan said.
Donovan and Bohlool also received the U-DFL endorsement last week, while presidential candidate Jigar Madia and his running mate Bridgette Murphy took the Interfraternity and Panhellenic councils and the Students Against Fee Excess endorsements.
The Residence Hall Association represents the students who live in the eight dormitories around campus.
“I think Jigar and Bridgette might be biting off more than they can chew,” said association member Meg Heinemann of the association’s decision to go with Donovan and Murphy. Heinemann explained that Madia and Murphy’s plan, dubbed “Twelve Months of Action,” might not leave the two enough time to attend to other concerns that students have next year.
Despite not receiving any of the endorsements, Shemon and Strid said they didn’t think their late entry would hurt their chances of winning.
“I see student groups as a good thing,” Shemon said, “but I also see it as following an organizational platform. We don’t want to look out for certain groups, but for the whole student body.”
Shemon said he and Strid weren’t sure if they wanted to run for the positions as late as last Thursday. However, when they saw only two tickets had filed, they decided to join the ballot.
But Shemon said their reasons for running weren’t limited to the fact that there were so few candidates.
“Our reason, basically, is we want to open a little more opportunity for students to build, perhaps, a better future for the University.”