As a brisk mist rose up Bruin Walk, students cheered, jeered and
hugged ““ both before and after the undergraduate student
election results were announced.
Students gathered in Meyerhoff Park in preparation for the
expected 9:30 p.m. announcement, and though the Election Board was
late with the results, the palpable spirit on the lawn did not
wane.
Students First! supporters chanted phrases such as,
“We’re fired up and can’t take it no more,”
and, “Whose university? Our university.”
Among the Students First! crowd were students carrying drums and
skillets to provide beats for the chanting, and one supporter even
carried a large water jug and hammered it with a broom stick.
The Students First! supporters were electric with excitement,
even before the other slates and candidates arrived.
Bruins United, showing up with a smaller contingent, were
relatively quiet during the Students First! cheers, with the
exception of an 8-clap. But they later directed a chant at the
Students First! crowd: “Take off that red shirt.”
Marwa Kaisey, the Bruins United presidential candidate, said
about her slate’s lackluster cheering, “We’re
saving our cheers for when we win.”
And after Shaun Doria’s election as Financial Supports
commissioner was announced, Bruins United’s only victory of
the night, they cheered and 8-clapped in support of their
candidates just as loud as Students First!
Slate Refund had a comparatively low show of support, with only
a handful of supporters. They even helped Bruins United in some of
their countercheers against the Students First! group.
Slate Refund spontaneously shouted, “Hey hey, ho ho,
student fees have got to go,” while standing in small huddle
next to the larger slates.
The Student Welfare Commission made a showing at the event to
support their in-house independent candidate, Tamaron Jang, clad in
cowboy hats and wearing signs with slogans such as, “Tamaron
is HOT.”
Just about everyone in the area performed an 8-clap, led by
Election Board Vice Chairwoman Allie Weinstein, before the results
were announced. Even the Campus Events crew on the Kerckhoff Hall
roof joined, watching the excitement from above.