The EIU student senate announced the unofficial results for its elections held April 14-15 at its meeting on Wednesday, which saw 400 total votes cast across the two days. 

Student senator Reagan Robson won the student body president position with 189 votes, defeating incumbent SBP Taylor Cloud who gained 160 votes. There were 37 votes cast in no confidence. 

Student senator Anna Jones won the executive vice president position with 188 votes defeating current Vice President of Student Affairs Mason Tegeler who had 186 votes. There were 15 votes in no confidence.  

Student senator Claire Weber won the VPSA position unopposed with 344 votes and 31 no confidence votes. 

Student senator John Slater won the vice president of academic affairs position unopposed with 338 votes and 33 no confidence votes. 

Speaker of the senate Madison Veatch won the student trustee position with 349 votes and 27 votes of no confidence. 

For the elected senator positions, current student senators Valerie Harmon and Katarina Maxson both succeeded. Maxson got 254 votes and Harmon got 236 votes. There were 12 votes cast in no confidence. 

The elected will be sworn in at the final senate meeting next Wednesday in Room 1895 in the Martin Luther King Jr. Union at 7 p.m.  

Over the weekend, five members of the student government association went to the Conference on Student Government Association at Texas A&M University. 

The conference brings together student government members from universities across the country and internationally to participate in workshops where members share ideas and practices about their own student governments, as well as listen to townhalls and keynote speakers. 

“After this conference, I feel that I have changed so much by myself,” Cloud said. “I have learned so much that we can do for students.” 

In total, the cost of attendance was $10,607.93, which came from the organization’s reserve funds.  

The cost was above intended budget due to the original hotel rooms being canceled. The replacement location required Ubers to be taken to get to the conference. 

In total, $3,336.85 was spent on flights to and from the event, $4,399.68 was spent on hotel rooms for the trip, $1,556.45 was spent on registration for COSGA, $334.95 was spent on Uber costs, $190 was spent on the van rental for the airport and $790 was spent on allowances for the five who attended. 

Cloud said that there would be discounts if SGA were to go back to COSGA. 

The members that went thought that the cost was well worth it. 

“It’s worth that amount of money for the positive change and be able to help,” Tegeler said.  

Advisor Ceci Brinker said that the money spent was worth the experience gained by members. 

“Look at it as an investment,” Brinker said to the senate. “But the investment that you’ve invested in, its because you’re going to do things that impact the students on this campus.” 

Tegeler said while only a few students went that those students could use what they learned to impact Eastern. 

“Not every student has the opportunity to go to COSGA, but I will say that every student does have the opportunity to benefit,” Tegeler said. “From all we learned, that to me makes the $10,000 worth it.”

Jason Coulombe can be reached at 581-2812 or at jmcoulombe@eiu.edu.