Election results for the 2015-2016 Student Government Association were announced on April 9, naming David Sommers and Jackie Jastrzebski as the next SGA president and vice president.

The Observer endorsed Sommers and Jastrzebski in the April 2 edition. We would like to congratulate them on winning the election.

The Observer would also like to congratulate Peter Siepiora and Danica Gray, the opposing ticket in the election, on courageously participating in the election and representing differing voices on campus.

Our hope is that now that these candidates have been elected, they will work to uphold their campaign promises and enact the transparency and change on campus that students elected them for.

A major criticism from Siepiora/Gray was the fact that Greek students have dominated the SGA president’s office for years, and that criticism still stands. Hopefully Sommers and Jastrzebski will keep the needs and opinions of non-Greek students on an equal footing to those of Greek students, without falling prey to the common trap of serving only the campus demographics that they are a part of themselves.

In light of the recent Life Week display vandalism, and the continued evolution of how Augustana deals with campus protests institutionally, the Sommers/Jastrzebski promise to facilitate campus forums for discussion is especially relevant to the campus. These forums for discussion are desperately needed, and perhaps fresh leadership from Sommers and Jastrzebski will encourage more of the student body to turn out and discuss the pressing issues facing our campus.

A major component of the Sommers/Jastrzebski campaign was a focus on combating sexual assault on campus. We encourage the candidates to pursue this vigorously, and to incorporate the Siepiora/Gray platform of improving campus for gender nonconforming students in their efforts to make Augustana safer.