Write-in candidates who lost to Aysha Seedat in this year’s Student Association presidential elections said they are hopeful that the newly elected president will follow through on improving the campus.

AJ Abell, Safet Mesanovic, Tatiana Cadet and Jesse Nichols all campaigned as write-in candidates for president, while Seedat and her running mate, Jane Hong, were the only candidates to appear on the ballot on MySlice. Seedat was declared the winner around 1 a.m. Friday, with 24.1 percent of students voting in the election.

Though he was not elected, the SA election results were still a win for Nichols, he said. Nichols and his running mate, Moke Hien, campaigned under the slogan of “Om for SU,” which refers to the sacred Buddhist symbol of “om” referring to interconnectedness. Nichols is involved in the Student Buddhist Association in Hendricks Chapel.

Nichols said he was extremely happy for Seedat.

“One of the four principals of our campaign was dedication,” he said. “Aysha and Jane’s dedication has really become clear, not just over course of election but also in general with their experiences in SA.”

Nichols said he and Hien plan to continue working on the causes that made up the main pillars of their campaign. He and Hein will continue “Om for SU” by working with the Office of Health Promotion and Hendricks Chapel in holding organization meditations and trying to create a holistic stress reduction center on campus.

Nichols added that the campaign was still a win for him in that he was able to meet more SA members, who can continue to help him to implement change with Hendricks Chapel.

“Meeting the candidates on a personal level was a great experience, and it’s nice to know the inner workings and personalities of such an important organization,” Nichols said.

Nichols said he most enjoyed attending The Kumquat’s satirical debate, held Tuesday, because it was one of the few times most of the candidates came together and it was “nice to have all of our ideas in one place.”

“We just want to express our congratulations,” Nichols said of his campaign team. “We can’t wait to see what Aysha and Jane are going to do next.”

Tatiana Cadet, another write-in candidate who had been campaigning, said she had a feeling that Seedat would win the election.

Cadet said since Seedat’s name was actually listed on the ballot a majority of people most likely voted for her based on the fact that her name was there rather than actually looking into the specific candidates and their platforms.

“I’m feeling sad but content…I feel no remorse,” Cadet said.

Cadet and Nichols finished in fourth and fifth place, respectively, out of the five total candidates in number of votes, Seedat said at her watch party. A total of 3,426 votes, or 24.1 percent, were cast by the Syracuse University student body.

In the future, Cadet said she hopes to be involved with SA, but for now she is still trying to determine what exactly that involvement will be.

She added that she hopes Seedat will fulfill her role as SA president.

“It’s more than just a name or a resume builder. It’s easy to assume that once elected the work is done,” Cadet said. “I just hope she follows through with what she addressed in her campaign and takes it a step further with what (the other write-in candidates) addressed as well.”

Write-in candidates AJ Abell and Safet Mesanovic were not available for comment.

Published on April 17, 2015 at 2:39 am

Contact Sara: smswann@syr.edu | @saramswann