By Susannah Waite, Editor-in-Chief
Students won’t know all of their choices for the top representative of the student body until the day the election begins.
The decision comes after Student Government Association presidential candidate Jacilyn Kennedy was disqualified March 13 from the race.
Kennedy, entertainment business junior, was one of six students who filed for the office. It is the highest number of students to run for president in recent years.
Read more about the election here.
Kennedy appealed the decision, and members of Student Court ruled March 14 on the appeal. They announced the same day that they will not reveal the official decision on Kennedy’s appeal until after the election.
Harmonniey Cheadle, chief justice of Student Court, said she will announce the decision at 8 p.m. March 26 during her executive report at Student Senate.
Polls open at 8 a.m. March 25 and voting continues through 7 p.m. March 26.
“Students will find out who is on the ballot and who is not when voting begins,” Cheadle said. “If they want to hear it directly from me, they’ll have to wait until Student Senate.”
The appeal came in response to a complaint filed March 9, by Mitch Thrower, SGA presidential candidate, and Esteban Silva, Thrower’s campaign adviser.
Kennedy and Rhameil Sampson, her campaign manager, both appealed, Cheadle said.
The appeals hearing was at 1 p.m. March 14.
The decision was unanimous, Cheadle said.
Kennedy’s campaign Facebook page is still active.
Beatrize Martinez, SGA presidential candidate, said she supports whatever decision the court made, but she is concerned.
“It’s not fair to our students because what we’ve been about is open communication,” Martinez said.
The candidates were not informed about the ongoing case, she said.
“I found out from a student on Facebook,” Martinez said. “I didn’t talk about it, because I didn’t know anything about it and it was a sensitive issue.”
Martinez said it will probably affect how students feel about the election.
“There wasn’t enough communication involved with the candidates,” she said. “It gets too much into the politics side, but I hope it wasn’t anyone acting shady.”
Liz Donnelly, dean of students; Corey Hill, assistant director of student development; and Dee Llanusa, assistant director of student life, all heard the appeals case today.
Donnelly refused March 14 to comment. Llanusa could not be reached. Hill was not contacted for comment.
Kennedy and other presidential candidates were unavailable March 14 for comment.
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