By Angela Davis
The voting and campaigning for BYU Student Body 2002 Elections has ended. No more paper pins or elastic wristbands for another year.
At the John Schmidt concert Friday night, BYU Student Body President Matt Blackner announced Rob Foster and Eisha Tengelsen as the winning candidates of the elections.
Foster and Tengelsen received 43.3 percent of the 5,959 total votes.
Don Bennion and Stephanie Blackner came in second with 35.44 percent of the votes, and Rob Marsh and Gavin McCaleb took third with 21.26 percent.
Foster expressed gratitude in his acceptance speech to several people, especially to Jesus Christ, and said it is a blessing to be in a school where students can talk of Christ.
Foster quoted a scripture in Mosiah 18:21 to illustrate his goal for BYU this year.
“My prayer for this year at BYU and BYUSA is that we will ”[have our] hearts knit together in unity” with love one towards another,” Foster said.
Bennion, 23, a junior from Wenatchee, Wash., majoring in mathematics, one of the other presidential candidates, said Foster has shown himself to be a great leader.
Bennion said he thinks it is important the students believe in Foster.
“We had a pow-wow seven minutes after we found out to talk about what we want to do,” Tengelsen said.
Foster said he wants to be the student voice to the administration by encouraging all students to give feedback about what they would like to see changed.
“I want to find feasible solutions for our students” concerns,” Foster said.
He said they will begin to communicate with the student body through the Internet and The Daily Universe about what they are doing to fulfill their campaign platform.
“Our platform is so incredibly easy. I want to implement it before we come back in Fall,” Tengelsen said. “After we”re done, we want to pick up other issues students have and work on those.”
McCaleb said he thinks Foster and Tengelsen will do the same as everyone else has in organizing and carrying out service and social activities.
“It serves a purpose, and that purpose will continue to be served,” said McCaleb, 26, a graduate student from Boise, Idaho, studying public administration.
Matt Blackner said they will begin training the new leaders within the next few weeks to prepare them to take over on April 10. They will choose seven vice presidents to head the committees and complete the BYUSA council.
BYUSA is accepting applications for vice presidents of the activities, clubs, public relations, community service, technology, the Student Advisory Council, and the University Student Council committees.
