By Andrea Pavlacka, ’09 | Staff Reporter

“For all the people who voted for me:
First of all I want to
thank them for electing me. I want to let them know that I am reliable person; I don’t make
false promises. I will try my best to do what I can for them.”

- Ahmed Rafiq,
2007-08 SGO President-elect

When the polls closed after the two-day Student Government Organization elections last Thursday night, Morrisville State students had elected a new SGO president and  vice president and had re-elected the incumbent director of budgets.

Ahmed Rafiq won the SGO president position, defeating Cassandra Wilmont by a vote of 228 to 105. When asked what he would like to say to those who voted for him, Rafiq was quick to thank his supporters. “For all the people who voted for me: First of all I want to thank them for electing me,” he wrote in an e-mail interview. “I want to let them know that I am reliable person; I don’t make false promises. I will try my best to do what I can for them.”

While there were no official candidates for the position of SGO vice president, there was a write-in line on the ballots, and Kingsley Ndubuka was selected with a mere 19 write-in votes.

Adail Carty was re-elected as SGO director of budgets, despite a strong showing at Tuesday night’s debate by challenger William Garran Murphy. Carty received 146 votes; second-place finisher Jared C. Bramer had 107.

Rafiq, a member of SGO with a considerable amount of experience under his belt, spoke in the debate about increasing the number of activities hosted by the SGO.

At the debate, Carty had promised to continue to work hard if re-elected and said he has plans to further improve student activities.