Editor’s Note: Malvika Vijju is a previous employee of The Daily Nebraskan and serves on its Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Committee currently. She was not involved with the publishing of this story and does not currently write for any editorial section.
With one contested position on this year’s ballot, the 2023 Association of Students of the University of Nebraska election results aren’t much of a surprise.
Unify UNL, a student election group consisting of over 40 students across every college at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, ran a primarily unchallenged race this election for ASUN positions.
Unify UNL emphasizes “intentional collaboration, inclusion and transparency,” according to an Instagram post.
About 7.14% of eligible students, or 1,601 people, turned out to vote in this year's election.
All but one elected representative was from Unify. Two candidates ran independently.
Paul Pechous, a junior special education major and current ASUN chief of staff, is elected as the president and student regent, with 83.8% of the student vote.
Lauren Kruger, a junior biological sciences major and current speaker of the senate, is elected as the internal vice president along with the president.
Shivani Mudhelli, a senior mathematics and computer science major and current Committee for Fee Allocations chair, is voted in as the external vice president with 82.76% of votes.
Additionally, Natalie Hole, a junior political science major, is expected to be appointed as the chief of staff, according to Unify’s Instagram.
The Electoral Commission fined Zein Saleh $50 fine using time in a class he was not enrolled in to campaign. According to the commission’s judgment, the Unify executive team told Saleh campaigning in a classroom was permissible, which violates a specific ASUN rule that campaigning may not interfere with classes or other university activities.
Election results
ASUN serves as UNL’s student government and is primarily run by elected senators who represent each of the university’s different colleges, along with graduate studies. Through individual committees, they play significant roles in allocating student fees and coordinating projects like Homecoming and Earthstock.
Unless marked otherwise, each candidate is a member of Unify.
Graduate Student Assembly President - Katie Mowat
Graduate Student Assembly Vice President - Venn Jemkur
Agriculture and Natural Resources - Naidaly Gonzalez Miranda; Ally Barry; Adrian Cox
Architecture - Benjamin Morgan
Arts and Sciences - Zein Saleh; Sam Spethman; Elizabeth Herbin; Reem Ahmed; Grace McCutcheon; Ritsa Giannakas
Business - Summer Liu; Ashwin Mannur; Logan Walsh; Isha Kishore; Tori Diersen; Dylan Kluthe
Dentistry - To be appointed
Education and Human Sciences - Thursey Cook; Esther Blazauskas; Katie Tran; Cristina Villa
Engineering - Lily Rippeteau; Bridget Peterkin; Furqan Mahdi; Two to be appointed.
Exploratory and Pre-Professional - Three to to be appointed
Fine and Performing Arts - To be appointed
Graduate - Mahima Rasquinha; Five to be appointed
Journalism and Mass Communications - Jacob Vanderford; Naomi Delkamiller
Law - Corrie Day
Nursing - Jillian Bierbower
Public Affairs and Community Service - Renata Cadena
Committee for Fee Allocations - Malvika Vijju; Luke McDermott; Rachel Heyne; Lexi Bodlak; Maddie Beasley; Owen Crone; Gerald Tassell (independent candidate); Three to be appointed
Graduate - To be appointed
Green Fund - Taylor Martens; Hannah Newport; Kalyssa Williams; Laila Doyle