Both presidential parties announced Monday in an official statement that junior Christian Vasquez and freshman Jessica Abercrombie will serve as president and vice president of ASASUD next year.
In the statement, the Vasquez and Abercrombie along with freshmen Andres Cano and Vaughn Hillyard said they met Monday along with Election Committee Chair Olga Lykhvar and have agreed to move on.
“We acknowledge the uniqueness of the situation and will work to ensure that procedures are in place for forthcoming ASASUD elections,” the two sides said in the statement.
The two parties said they will incorporate each other’s campaign initiatives for next year.
“As four student leaders, we will work to ensure that our campus continues to grow and prosper,” the two sides said in the statement. “We know the importance that ASASUD will play in that process.”
Future for Cano and Hillyard
Following the two sides’ statement Monday, Cano said he and Hillyard decided to concede the presidency because it had become apparent there would be no reversal of their disqualification by the Election Committee.
“It became clear that the Election Committee’s decision was still going to stand,” he said. “It was just a matter of realizing there was going to be no light at the end of the tunnel.”
Cano said it was also time for the campus to move on since it has been two weeks since elections polls opened.
“This decision is for the betterment of downtown,” he said. “At this point it’s just a matter of paying attention to the issues (put forth by) the downtown students.”
Cano said he and Hillyard will meet with Vasquez and Abercrombie again this Thursday, and they plan on meeting with them several more times during the following weeks to ensure the platform his ticket ran on is incorporated into next year’s plans.
As for next semester, Cano said he plans to take a break from student government to focus on academics as well as the other student organizations he’s involved with.
“This election in no way is going to affect my commitment to this campus,” he said.
In a document posted on Facebook, Hillyard said he agreed to run with Cano because he thought it would be a great opportunity to connect students with local businesses, and he said he will still make that one of his priorities next semester by starting an organization called Downtown Alive.
“I’m not the vice president, but that doesn’t mean I can’t continue to pursue the vision I, and so many others, have for ASU downtown,” he said in the document.
Contact the reporter at salvador.rodriguez@asu.edu
