Syracuse University’s Student Association elections ended at midnight with Ryan Kelly winning the presidential position and Mike Rizzolo the comptroller position for the 51st Session.

Kelly, the current SA chief of staff and a junior advertising and marketing dual major, won the presidential election against Matt Correia, a junior philosophy and economics dual major. Kelly received 56 percent of the vote and Correia won 42 percent, with 2 percent going to write-in candidates, said Crystal Beavers, Board of Elections and Membership chairperson.

Rizzolo, a sophomore finance and accounting dual major, ran unopposed for the comptroller position.

Beavers said 1,325 students, just more than 10 percent of the SU undergraduate population, voted in the election on the SA Web site from Sunday at midnight to Thursday.

With the exception of the temporary shutdown of the Web site about 20 minutes after it opened on Sunday, Beavers said there were very few problems with the voting process.

Other problems occurred with State University of New York College of Environmental Science and Forestry students who tried to vote. The software, which wasn’t created by SA, wouldn’t accept certain ESF students’ security codes, not allowing them to vote.

Beavers said she provided the students paper ballots in the Schine Student Center after discovering the problem. Three people voted this way, Beavers said.

Voter turn-out was the only other issue that concerned Beavers.

‘I was expecting a little bit bigger, like around 20 percent, or 15,’ she said of the voter turnout. ‘Students aren’t really thinking about school. They’re thinking about home, about Thanksgiving.’

Beavers, Kelly and Correia all said they were surprised with the low voter turn-out, but Kelly was still in good spirits Thursday night.

‘It was a good race,’ he said. ‘Both people were very qualified. I didn’t want a blowout. I wanted it to be as close as possible.’

Kelly said he and his campaign team were talking and sitting around waiting for the news, though loud noises and cheering could be heard in the background.

‘I feel absolutely great,’ Kelly said, after hearing the news. ‘I want to thank everyone who voted and everyone on my campaign team. Matt was such a great competitor and I wish him the best of luck.’

Correia, who was working on a take-home examination when the results were announced, said he was disappointed.

‘I’m bummed actually,’ Correia said. ‘I would have liked to come out on top, but it was a great experience. When you lose, there’s not much to party about.’

Correia, current Resident Hall Association president, will remain in that position for at least the next semester. However, he said he greatly enjoyed his time on the campaign trail.

‘I just think meeting a vast amount of students was a nice experience,’ he said.

He said in addition to meeting other students, campaigning also allowed him to hear about issues he didn’t know existed.

Correia said as RHA president he would like to collaborate with the 51st session, and will continue to serve on the finance board.

‘I’d still love to work with Ryan,’ he said.

Kelly said he credits his campaign team, with whom he has become very close throughout the past few weeks. He also said he was looking forward to beginning the next SA session.

Some of the first projects Kelly said he wants to tackle are setting up a city liaison within SA and helping Dean Juanita Perez Williams organize a student leadership conference.

Kelly said he also must choose his cabinet. Interviews will take place before the end of the semester. Kelly said he wants to look both in and outside of SA to find the best and the brightest students to serve on his cabinet.

‘I look forward to being SA president,’ he said.

Published on November 17, 2006 at 12:00 pm