By Ariela Rosa
On Sunday Jan. 25, Wesley Varughese and Ali Heiring were announced as LUCC’s new president-elect and vice president-elect. A total of 822 ballots were cast in what proved to be a tight race for both offices.
Varughese, a junior, has been interested in running for LUCC president since his freshman year. He said he felt “honored to have been elected as the president of LUCC for the upcoming term.” He remarked this year’s race was so tight “there had to be confirmation in the vote before going public.”
“When I had received the e-mail stating that I had won, I still could not believe it,” said Varughese. “I was overjoyed by the congratulations I received from various students and faculty across campus once it was made breaking news to the community.”
Varughese indicated that his favorite part of campaigning was talking with student organizations about his platform. “These conversations were the most important for me to connect with others in our community, while recognizing what needed to be done with [the] president position.”
Heiring, also a junior, said she heard the news while in Björklunden with the Page Turner’s book club. “I promptly slid across the floor of the Great Room in my socks in excitement and hugged everyone I knew there.”
Explaining her decision to run a poster-less campaign as an attempt to remain environmentally friendly, Heiring added, “I was hoping that my past experiences and my qualifications for the position would outweigh my name or face appearing around every corner on a flyer.”
However, she noted that it was “very intimidating to walk around campus and see all of the posters and signs advertising other candidates, that did make me nervous in the days leading up to the election.”
“Seeing such a high voter turnout made the result so much more special as well, it is extremely rewarding to know that over half of campus voted and trusted me to take on this LUCC position,” Heiring said.
According to the LUCC Constitution, the president is responsible for setting and presiding over all meetings of the council, signing legislation, and overseeing the Steering Committee, among other duties.
The vice president presides at council meetings in place of the president, acts as the chair of the Finance Committee, and holds meetings with the heads of all LUCC-recognized clubs to review the rules for budget allocation.