No one is officially running on the ballot for Ferris student government president for the 2014-15 academic school year.
The Mandate of Internal Assessment, the governing document of the internal assessment division that outlines the election guidelines, says candidates must have been in student government for two consecutive semesters prior to the election.
Current Student Government President Andrew Kalinowski and Student Government Administrative Assistant Amanda Jewell planned to run against one another, but neither will have two consecutive semesters in Student Government prior to the election, so they cannot be placed on the ballot.
“We have not been going by the Mandate of Internal Assessment,” Student Government Public Relations Specialist Carmen Plank said. “It hasn’t been an active document until this semester.”
Since there is nobody on the ballot, students can vote for anyone as a write-in candidate. The winner will then go to student government and must be approved by two-thirds vote of the general assembly of student government.
“The student body may vote for someone, but then the general assembly, who interacts with the president and the executive board every single day, may not see that person as fit or wouldn’t understand the rules of student government,” Student Government Parliamentarian Trevor Waller said.
In the event that student government does not approve the winner of the election by a two-thirds vote, the runner-up would have to be approved by a two-thirds vote from the general assembly of student government.
“It’s a combined effort between the two (student government and popular vote) to properly represent Ferris students as a whole,” Ferris sophomore nursing major Meghan Quaine said. “Student government is our voice as well as opportunity to create change.”
The election began on April 8 at 9 a.m. and will continue until to April 13 at 11 p.m. on OrgSync.