Current Plattsburgh State Student Association Executive Vice President Kevin Clayton was elected SA president for the 2015 term Tuesday night.
After the election results were posted on the SA office door Tuesday at 8:30 p.m., Clayton said he felt “tired.”
“It was a good race, I loved every second of it, so I’m still sort of dealing with the idea of it being over,” he said.
A fondness for talking to people appeared to work in Clayton’s favor, leading him to skip a majority of his Tuesday classes and canceling his shift at work to continue campaigning on election day.
In addition to attending multiple group meetings such as hall council at residence halls, Clayton also approached students in Flynt Commons, located on the second floor of the Angell College Center, to speak to them about what he felt he could improve if elected. He continued speaking to potential voters until the online polls closed at 8 p.m.
“I really like talking to people, so I had a blast today, but it was exhausting,” Clayton said.
This year, Clayton said PSUC students were sent the link to the online voting system through their Plattsburgh email accounts, allowing easier access and making it more convenient for them to cast their votes.
“I’m happy to see that the students came out and took part in choosing who’s going to represent them. It’s an important matter,” he said.
With more than 800 student votes cast for the presidential election, Clayton, who ran against current Senator for Student Services Lateef Wearrien and former Vice President for Finance Joseph Nagiub, said voter turnout was more successful than the past couple of years, but there is still room for improvement.
Mainly, Clayton said he plans to make good on the promises he made to the student body during his campaign and focus on increasing communication between students and their SA representatives.
“We’re not just going to sit in the office — we’re going to go out there, we’re going to talk to them, we’re going to get their feedback and their input so we can put on better things on campus and we can improve,” Clayton said.
In addition to Clayton’s presidential victory, Sapoon Dutta was elected as the new executive vice president, while the new speaker of the Senate will be elected from all of the newly voted senators at a later date.
“I think this is getting back to what the SA should really be about,” Clayton said. “We’re about serving students, and I think the first step in getting toward that is going to the students and asking, ‘How can we better serve you?’ That’s what I’ve been saying all throughout my campaign, and I intend to follow through on that.”
Email Maggie McVey at news@cardinalpointsonline.com.
