Buckner and Onuh named winners of 2017 SGA Presidential Election

Olivia Buckner and Oge Onuh have been named the new President and Vice President for the 2017-2018 Student Government Association.

“We’re really excited,” Buckner said. “We’re ready to hit the ground running, and we’ll probably have a meeting tomorrow.”

The pair won with 636 votes, with Catie Byrd and Michael Smith getting 364 votes.

That's 248 less student votes than in the initial election on March 28 and March 29.

Both students are rising seniors at Mercer. Buckner has been a class senator her entire Mercer career, while Onuh has been a senator for the 2016-2017 academic year.

According to Buckner and Onuh’s Facebook event, this ticket is hoping to “optimize your opportunities” with active communication and impactful initiatives.

“We want SGA to be a place for all, and the best way to offer this is to have Inclusivity be at the TOP of the list. This means every student should feel that they have an equal voice,” they said on the Facebook page. “We want to be in constant contact with students, organizations, clubs, faculty, staff and administration to get optimal results.”

Buckner and Onuh’s ticket is the only one with Greek and minority representation.

These students will step into their new positions after the SGA transition banquet on April 17.

However, the SGA election season is not over. The senator qualifications will start Thursday, April 6. Elections for senators will be from 9 a.m. on Tuesday, April 11 until 5 p.m. Wednesday, April 12.

The Executive Board for the 2017-2018 academic year will be determined by the new President and Vice President.

“We hope everyone comes out and runs for senator,” Buckner said.