The results are in: Chapman’s new cohort of student leadership

Graphic by Emily Paris, Photo Editor

The race for presidential and senatorial positions concluded in controversy, with allegations of election violations casting a shadow over the results.

The spring election voting period wrapped up on Feb. 26, but official results were delayed due to “hiccups” with the election process, according to the previous director of the senate, Cintya Felix, a junior triple-majoring in political science, Spanish and economics.  

Chapman’s Student Government Association (SGA) serves as the voice for the undergraduate student body; they are responsible for implementing policies and initiatives that reflect student’s needs and interests. 

SGA held elections for four positions:

• President: Felix won with 68.58% of the vote, with 10.22% of eligible students participating.

• Vice president: Zoe Zadah secured 61.69% of the vote, with 9.18% voter participation.

• Senior senator: Idaly Ramirez received 95.40% of the vote, with 7.77% participation.

• Student organizations senator: Marilin Garcia Hernandez won with 64.21% of the vote, with 6.96% participation

The elections committee, made up of seven students from different grade levels and majors, oversees the election process. 

Felix, now president-elect, called into question if the election was fair and said the elected vice president allegedly violated campaign guidelines by coercing students to vote. 

“I think it's a disservice to students to not know who's going to be their leaders, who's going to maintain representing them,” said Felix. “You have to be transparent about how you campaign.”

Vice president-elect Zadah, a junior double majoring in political science and economics, denied violating any election regulations and stated that she was not informed of who filed the complaints against her.  

Zadah said she received an email at 5 p.m. on the day of the election that said, "Congratulations, you are vice president." She later received a notification that there would be a hearing addressing complaints made against her and the issue of not meeting the 10% voter participation standard. 

“I am not going to assume things, but (Felix) was kind of running with the guy who was running against me,” said Zadah. “So I think she might be disappointed that he didn’t win.” 

The election has since been validated and SGA made no public comment on the allegations. 

“Everything had been cleared,” Zadah said. “It is not up in the air.” 

President-elect: Cintya Felix

Felix has been involved in SGA since her first two weeks at Chapman. She is the first Latina student to hold this position and said she is excited to bring her multiple identities into new spaces. 

One of her biggest priorities is addressing what arose during the election to provide greater clarity for candidates, the elections committee and students. 

“We have a lot of modifications that need to be made to our operating documents because, as we stand, our election code and bylaws are a little broken,” said Felix. 

To fix contradictions and prepare for future scenarios, Felix said she wants to work closely with the judicial branch. 

Felix said she looked up to previous presidents and aims to follow in their footsteps by serving as a mentor to the senators, specifically in managing the budget. 

“I have really taken pride in using that money to give it back to the students, whether it's conference funding student organizations, big scale events or something on campus, such as the water refilling stations,” said Felix. 

Felix, who advocated for diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) initiatives during her campaign, emphasized the importance of keeping students informed about the challenges behind the scenes that prevent certain initiatives from being accomplished.

“I think it's important to communicate back to the student body because, as of now, I feel there are a lot of unanswered questions,” she said.

Felix said she will also implement DEI training for senators to be prepared for pushback in the case of federal restrictions and laws. 

“We can equip our leaders on campus with the right wording so they're not scared of federal funding being taken away,” said Felix. 

When discussing the future of SGA and student involvement, Felix said she hopes to foster more competition and do away with unfilled positions. 

“We have an issue where sometimes we have a vacancy because nobody ran,” said Felix. “I really want to foster that competitive environment where more people feel empowered.” 

To increase voter engagement, Felix said SGA is creating an outreach liaison role to visit classrooms, provide information on voting and encourage participation in a neutral, unbiased manner.

Vice president-elect: Zoe Zadah  

Zadah said her journey to SGA was not a straightforward path, but she viewed this as a strength in her campaign, as it helped her connect with students from diverse backgrounds.

“It's just awesome to relate to so many different walks of life and people from different backgrounds,” she said. “I think that as a VP that's super important, because you're working face to face with the students.”

Zadah said her road to victory was not without challenges and that she faced criticism for her lack of experience. 

“I have never been in SGA before, so a lot of people were trying to tell me I'm not qualified,” she said.

Although she is new to student leadership at Chapman, Zadah said she previously participated in the Associated Student Body program for all four years of high school, including serving as vice president and on the executive board.  

“You know yourself the best, and people are going to try to tell you that you don't have these skills, and you shouldn't let the perception that they have of you define who you are,” she said.  

Zadah said she ran a more unique campaign, prioritizing engaging with students in-person over having a larger social media presence. 

“I'm a very social person. I like to talk to people and put myself out there face to face,” Zadah said.

Zadah addressed issues with people only voting when their friends or someone they know is running and said she hopes to implement candidate videos where those running can introduce themselves and their platform to be played on the screens around campus. She also suggested using Canvas as a tool to alert students with the link to vote and advertise the election bash.

“Every student checks their Canvas,” she said.

As a first-generation student with a diverse background and involvement in the Latinx Club, Arab Student Association and Armenian Student Association, Zadah was inspired to advocate for ethnic groups on campus by working with club advisors. One of her initiatives for this year is organizing a celebration for Arab Heritage Month in April.

​Zadah recognized that, although the election process was challenging, it proved to be a meaningful experience and even extended her journey at Chapman.

“Just the experience of running in itself is a great experience,” she said. “I was gonna graduate this spring, and I decided not to, because there's so much to do on campus and I'm so glad that I found my place more and gotten myself more involved.” 

Senior senator-elect: Idaly Ramirez

Ramirez, a senior integrated educational studies major, ran unopposed. While The Panther reached out to her for comment, we were unable to connect as of this article’s publication.

Student organizations senator-elect: Marilin Garcia Hernandez

Garcia Hernandez, a freshman business administration major, ran against one other candidate. While The Panther reached out to her for comment, we were unable to connect as of this article’s publication. 

Hernandez’s pre-election interview with The Panther offers further insight into her background and objectives.