After ten long days of campaigning, agricultural science junior Riley Nilsen secured the position of Associated Students, Inc. (ASI) president for the 2017-18 academic year. An unofficial voting count from ASI reported Nilsen as the winner, garnering a total of 2,279 votes. Current numbers are not official until ratified by the ASI Board of Directors on May 3.
“I’m overwhelmed, and I’m happy to have this support. I’m grateful,” Nilsen said.
Fellow competitors included political science junior Chase Dean (runner-up with 1,720 votes), business administration sophomore Archie Mitchell (3rd place with 1,050 votes) and biomedical engineering junior Davis Negrete (4th place with 507 votes).
Nilsen said the hardest aspect of campaigning was running for presidency alongside friends.
“I respect and value all the other candidates,” Nilsen said. She added that she hopes to work with each of them in the future.
Once in office, Nilsen said she will immediately begin to engage with students by maintaining an active presence on campus and holding open office hours. She encourages all students to come talk with her about their concerns and ideas.
Nilsen will succeed current ASI President and agricultural sciences senior Jana Colombini, and will officially assume her new role after the last day of finals. Until then, she continues to serve as the chair of ASI Board of Directors.
The 2017 ASI election may have seen one of the highest voter turnouts at Cal Poly, with an estimated 26 percent of the student body casting their votes.