The Amherst Student Online

Candidate for SFC chair/SGO treasurer Mike Flood ’03, concerned that actions taken in support of Blake Sparrow ’04 “violated the spirit and letter of the Code of Elections,” has contested the election. According to SGO Corresponding Secretary Anishah Cumber ’02, the results of the election are “not yet decided,” but she refused to verify that a contest had been submitted. Flood cited two separate emails written by two different students as the reason for the contest.

While Flood refused to cite the specific emails, an email was sent by SFC cultural subcommittee chair David Jaquette ’02 on Monday night expressing support for Sparrow.

“I encourage you all to vote for Blake Sparrow,” wrote Jaquette in an email to the leaders of clubs in his subcommittee. “He is, for a thousand reasons, the more experienced, competent, deserving, and concerned candidate.”

Jaquette, who refused to comment on his email, also asked the club leaders to “encourage your clubs to vote” for Sparrow.

“Without knowing whether I may or may not have won this election, I am most distressed by the present situation,” wrote Sparrow in a statement to The Student. “I would hope that my political opponent would not wait until the eleventh hour to contest an election, but that is completely out of my hands.”

Sparrow expressed concern with an email sent by SGO Vice President Amy Summerville ’02 in support of Flood, but he did not contest the election on those grounds. As a member of the SGO executive board, Summerville will sit on the Election Committee that will review the contest.

“I don’t think it’s a secret that the SFC has had some big problems recently with the way they treat the students they were elected to serve and their attitudes towards the money we have entrusted to them to administer,” Summerville wrote. “I’ve been involved with student government for three years now, and have interacted with both candidates on the ballot in that capacity. I’d like to encourage you to join me in voting for Mike Flood, the candidate who is committed to improving the SFC.”

“I find it very disconcerting that one of the members of the Election Committee decided to write a statement against me, since I would expect one to have a higher level of professionalism,” wrote Sparrow. “This is just another strike against the credibility of the Amherst Student Government.”

The Code of Elections states that “upon submission of a formal dispute of the election, the corresponding secretary shall assemble the Elections Committee as quickly as possible.”

Committee on Priorities and Resources (CPR)

The only candidate listed on the ballot, Lincoln Mayer ’04 won the election with 231 votes. Mayer is currently a member of the Faculty Committee on Discipline.

Luke Swarthout ’04 staged a write-in campaign for a second vacant seat on the CPR. Swarthout won the second seat with 26 votes. A regular attendee of Student Senate meetings, he has expressed interest in sitting on the ad hoc committee on constitutional revision.

Matt Moses ’02 ran unopposed for a seat on the Faculty Committee on Library. A senior English major, Moses received 350 votes, 92 percent of the total votes cast.