Student Body President and Vice President

Ryan Webster Hyde – President

Dajah Brooks – Vice President

Sophomore Senators

Bryanna Reed

Methusella Rwabose

Junior Senators

Zara Khan

Mason Estes

Senior Senators

Stephenie Thorne

Charlotte Hecht

On-Campus Senator

Marshall D. Marrs

Off-Campus Senators

Keanan Anderson

Bahdon Abar

Study Abroad Senator

Grace Wankelman

Diversity and Inclusive Excellence Senator

Mary Kudoadzi

Daniels College of Business Senators

Yolanda Ortiz

Jesus Baez

Fritz Knoebel School of Hospitality Management Senator

Mireille Baxter

Josef Korbel School of International Studies Senator

Jackson Garske

Natural Sciences and Mathematics Senator

Stella Brown

Computer Science and Engineering Senator

Sedak Puri

Arts, Humanities, and Social Sciences Senators

Joanna Li

John Haddock

Seher Preet Puri

Despite the ongoing situation regarding COVID-19, the total number of students who voted stayed consistent with previous election years. 1300 students turned out to the polls, which is 500 more than last year’s election. This is likely due to an increase in the number of contested races. The races for Student Body President/Vice President, Sophomore Senator, Senior Senator and Study Abroad Senator featured two or more competing tickets.

Candidates had three weeks to campaign, from Week 2 to Week 5 of Spring Quarter. As a result of the school operating online only, many of the candidates in competing races turned to social media such as Facebook and Instagram to advertise their platforms and garner support. The pandemic did little to stop candidates from engaging with the community, as most sought out public endorsements from both students and student organizations on campus.

A debate between the competing Presidential/Vice Presidential tickets was held Week 4 of Spring Quarter, moderated by the leadership of the DU Clarion. Voting opened at the beginning of Week 5, Monday April 27. Students had a week to participate in the online survey before voting closed. This process was overseen by Lisl Davies, USG Elections Commissioner.

“Managing the elections online was difficult, but I think they went well and that candidates felt comfortable with the process. The debate and info sessions had never been done online, but I believe I was able to successfully move them to a virtual format. I want to thank Anit Tyagi, Jessie Stellini, Katia Miller, Mike Furno, the candidates, the voters and, of course, the Clarion for helping to make this election successful,” Davies said, continuing, “Any changes that I made were to benefit the candidates. I believe that when candidates run a great campaign, are aware of the rules and regulations and feel supported, the voter is able to make a more informed decision.”

After The Clarion was permitted to release the results, we reached out to the winning Presidential/Vice Presidential ticket for comment.

“I was thrilled to hear that we won!” Dajah Brooks, incoming Vice President of the student body said. “While we may not know the number of votes, I believe that it was a very close race. We would love to thank Abdul and June for giving us a run for our money. I am excited about everything that comes next year but especially the opportunity to create a campus with more intersectionality.”

Hyde and Brooks now begin the process of transitioning to their new positions, under the mentorship of current student body President Matt Walter and Vice President Sophia Gonzalez-Mayagoitia. Once all of the newly-elected students are sworn into their positions later in Spring Quarter, they will take over the responsibilities of representing the student body.

“After last year’s uncontested race, I was thrilled to see two strong tickets come forward for President and Vice President,” Walter said. “I am proud to be passing the torch to two good friends and colleagues, Ryan and Dajah, over the next several weeks. While this is not the ideal time to do so, I have full faith in their ability to rise to the moment and make this process as strong and seamless as possible.”