Matthew Slovik is set to become the next president of Duke Student Government after defeating Taylor Collison by a 10.3 percent margin in Tuesday's runoff election.
Slovik, a junior, received 55.15 percent of the vote, compared to Collison's 44.85 percent. In the March 4 executive elections, Slovik led Collison by 6.49 percent, short of the 10 percent required for a presidential candidate to win.
Candidates have until 11 p.m. Wednesday, when the results are official, to file any complaints.
"I'm ecstatic, and I'm really looking forward to working with the new executive committee," Slovik said. "I want to say 'thank you' to everyone who supported me and voted. The campus-wide support means so much to me. I went into [the runoff] knowing that whatever happened, the student body would be in good shape."
As for next year, Slovik said, "My plans are to shape a DSG that's going to be more about the students and that's going to stand up for what it believes in, that's going to make life better for the student body."
Despite his loss, Collison, who is also a junior, remained positive and looked to the future. "Thanks to everyone that was behind me," he said. "Just because you're not DSG president doesn't mean you can't make a huge impact on this campus."
Next year, Collison said he plans to develop Rock-N-Wrap, a food recovery program that distributes excess food from Duke eateries to community shelters, and to expand EZDevil.com--an independent course evaluation system--into a cohesive student website.
"I look forward to seeing what DSG will do next year," he said, adding that he hoped the organization would follow through on the other presidential candidates' campaign issues and be wary of past pitfalls. "With someone that has DSG experience coming into the [presidency] next year, I hope that they take into account that there's a lot of things that need to change next year," he said.
Will Fagan, DSG attorney general and election commission chair, said he was pleased at how both candidates conducted themselves during the campaign. "I was extremely impressed with both candidates," he said. "I'm happy for Matt... I think that Taylor should remain involved in some capacity. He showed himself to be a very worthy candidate."
Student voter turnout for the runoff was 33.77 percent, much lower than the 57.36 percent turnout in the March 4 elections. "We did have a dip in the turnout, but that was to be expected," Fagan said. "People were returning from spring break... I still think 33 percent of the student body is a pretty good number for a runoff."
Members of next year's executive committee said they look forward to serving in Slovik's administration.
"I'm excited for the opportunity to work with Matt," said sophomore Elizabeth Dixon, who was recently elected DSG vice president for student affairs. "I think he's a great candidate, and I think he and Taylor were equally qualified... I hope that Taylor works closely with DSG as a student leader."
Junior Avery Reaves, the incoming DSG vice president for academic affairs, said Slovik was the best candidate for the job.
"I'm really glad that Matt won. He will be a great asset to DSG next year," Reaves said. "Matt knows the organization best and he knows how the organization should work."
Get The Chronicle straight to your inbox
Signup for our weekly newsletter. Cancel at any time.