It took a bit longer than anticipated, but the SUNY Oswego Student Association has named its next president. Takayla Beckon, winner of SA’s special election, has been declared president of the Student Association for the 2021-22 academic year.

Beckon received 90 votes in the special election, which was held from April 8-9. That total represented 62.07% of the overall tally, as Alanna Hill, the opposing candidate, received 37.93%.

“First of all, I would love to thank everybody who helped me get here,” Beckon said. “I didn’t get here by myself. I got here because of the people who believed in me.”

She said that, as president, her goals include “bringing a vibrant community within the new normal.” She also stated that she hopes to be a point of contact for the student body.

“I feel like I can help the students in this position by being a resource,” Beckon said. “If the students need me, I’m there. But I’m also going to have projects of my own, projects with my team and with other faculty members.”

Beckon said that she hopes to connect with alumni as well, as she desires to involve as many people as possible in her pursuit of “moving the community forward.”

The special election was not the first time that the two candidates faced off, however. SA held its initial presidential election from March 11-12, but voter participation among the SUNY Oswego student body was startlingly low. Only 79 votes were cast in the original election. That figure was a far cry from the election of 2020, which saw 848 students cast a vote. Even in 2020, 848 was considered low at the time. In the 2019 election, SA saw 1,498 votes in total.

Due to the tremendously low turnout, it was decided that the results of the election were unsatisfactory. This led to the establishment of a special election, fronted by SA’s Supreme Court Chief Justice, Matthew O’Donnell.

“79 people voted in total, and I didn’t like that number,” O’Donnell said.

After meeting with SA President Lizeth Ortega-Ramirez and Vice President Asheem Calixte, it was decided that a special election should be held.  

This was approved by SUNY Oswego President Deborah Stanley.

Beckon had also won the initial race by a wide margin. Despite having to win a second consecutive election, she said this was not a major concern. 

“I didn’t mind,” Beckon said. “I really didn’t, especially once I found out the numbers [of the first election].” 

Of the 79 votes in the first election, 60 of them were in favor of Beckon, giving her 76% of the vote.

Initially, O’Donnell aimed to mirror the voter turnout from the 2020 election which saw 848 students vote. While the special election did not nearly approach that mark, he said SA still did everything it could to get the word out under the circumstances. 

“I now realize that goal was not even close to what I should have been thinking of,” O’Donnell said. 

Regarding the 145-student turnout in the special election, O’Donnell said that the figure, while still not necessarily where he would have liked it to be, was “better.” 

“Looking into some statistics from other schools, we’re actually around the same percentage of the student population voting,” O’Donnell said.

O’Donnell explained that though he would have wished for a higher voter turnout, he understands that SA had done all that it could do. 

“I think we did all that we could do,” O’Donnell said. “We did do a lot more publicity this time around … I feel like a lot more people were informed it was happening.” 

He also made note of some factors that could make a difference in terms of increasing voter turnout for next year. 

“I think the big thing is just making sure we’re out there,” O’Donnell said. “Tabling, getting the publicity out, things like that.” 

Naturally, many of SA’s typical activities to increase turnout, namely tabling, were themselves tabled due to the COVID-19 pandemic. A return to full campus activity, currently the plan for the fall 2021 semester, should allow SA to resume these activities. 

While the voter turnout in the special election was low, it was still enough to declare a winner. The results were confirmed during a meeting by the Student Association on April 13, leading to Beckon being officially named the next president of the Student Association. She will succeed Ortega-Ramirez as the next president.

Graphic by Patrick Higgins | The Oswegonian