The Michigan Daily - michigandaily.com Friday, March 26, 2010 - 5 DPS From Page 1 procedures needed to be revised. Outgoing MSA President Abhishek Mahanti co-authored a proposal to place student can- didates wanting to serve on the committee on ballots in the campus-wide elections that take place in March and November. In a Dec. 9, 2009 Daily article, Mahanti said the majority of the assembly was in support of the resolution. "It's nice that the entire assem- bly got behind (the issue) to fig- ure out what can be done to go forward," Mahanti told the Daily at the time. "It was a really good collaborative effort." Howe and Vutukuru said before the election results were published that they were in favor of the change in election proce- dures. "I really believe in the demo- cratic process and making that prevalent in respect to student leadership," Howe said. "I think when you have a group in power appointing more and more rep- resentation it doesn't lead to true representation and focus on stu- dents." She added that elected repre- sentatives are more productive and attentive to addressing stu- dents' concerns than appointed representatives. "When you have a group of stu- dents that directly are asking you to represent, them and to work for them, you are much more accountable to those who elected you," she said. In an e-mail interview, Vutu- kuru expressed a similar opinion and wrote that he supported the change to an electoral process. "I think it's beneficial that the students understand who exact- ly is representing them when it comes to the DPS Oversight Committee," Vutukuru wrote. "It allows for more accountabil- ity and transparency within the system." Vutukuru wrote that he wants to serve on the commit- tee to improve the relationship between students and the cam- pus police. "Right now I feel as if there's a mindset that students don't really appreciate DPS," Vutukuru wrote. "I feel that when a student sees a DPS officer they feel like 'OK, here comes another one.' I want students to feel some admi- ration for DPS officers, and at the same time I want DPS officers to understand students and their rights." Howe said she thinks there is a lack of communication between DPS and students. To solve this problem, she said she wants to hold open forums where students can talk about their safety concerns. She also plans to work with students in University organizations like SAPAC and the Spectrum Center. "I would like to talk to them a lot about hate crimes they've heard of and experienced and try to individualize the approach that DPS takes towards students to make it a more efficient and personal service here," she said. In an interview on Wednesday, Hicks said he was not running for the position and said he was not aware that his name was still on the ballot. Though previously planning to run, Hicks said he had a "hec- tic schedule" because he interns with Congressmen John Dingell (D-Mich.) 40 hours each week and attends class. Hicks said he thought MSA representatives knew he was not planning to run anymore. When Michael Benson, chair of the MSA Rules and Elections Committee, was asked about the matter, Benson said he was "confused" and didn't know that Hicks wanted to retract his can- didacy. "His name is on the ballot," Benson said. "As far as I'm aware, we never received notice from him saying he wanted to be taken off." In an interview Thursday night, MSA Election Chair Sagar Despande said that Hicks offi- cially withdrew at 9:51 a.m. Wednesday morning. Though Hicks is not running, students could still vote for him on the ballot. Despande said Hicks would not take office if he is elected. But on Wednesday Hicks said he would probably accept the position if elected. However, he admitted that he did not know what his responsi- bilities on the committee would be or the basic function of the committee. "As far of the details, I'm not quite sure," he said. SAMANTHA TRAUBEN/Daily LSA junior Chris Armstrong (center) and Business School junior Jason Raymond (right) celebrate their elections as the next president and vice president of MSA. ARMSTRONG From Page 1 compromised as many as 1,000 student ballots, Michael Benson, chair of MSA's Rules and Elections Committee, said that the election ran "relatively smoothly." Benson said he was happy with the voter turnout, though he said the percentage could have been higher. Student participation in MSA elections has increased every year since 2007. In the winter 2008 election, 6.4 percent of the stu- dent body voted and that number doubled for the elections in winter 2009 - with 4,497 votes cast. This year, the tight race between MForward and the Michigan Vision Party yielded an even high- er voter turnout as 5,488 students cast a ballot. In the phone interview, Arm- strong said that he didn't expect that he and Raymond would win the majority of the student vote. "Part of me felt like we were doing very well, but I never expected to win," Armstrong said. "I didn't know how to react until I actually heard my name." Armstrong and Raymond will serve as the new MSA president and vice president for the remain- der of the school year and until March 2011. Armstrong and Raymond won by 1,035 votes, though there were 15 grievances filed against MFor- ward, which resulted in the party receiving a demerit for one of the grievances - an unauthorized campaign sticker was placed above a urinal in Angell Hall. Benson said that the number of grievances filed would make it pos- sible, yet highly unlikely to threat- en the newly elected president and vice president positions. He added that less than five grievances were filed in last year's winter elections. Armstrong and Raymond formed MForward - a party focused on direct advocacy and student involvement - during this year's election cycle because they believed some members of MSA didn't think MSA was solving enough issues or making University students unite inside and outside the assembly. The MForward party platform includes lobbying for Saturday night dining in the residence halls, a gender-neutral housing option for students and the lobbying for the passage of the Good Samaritan Law - a law intended to safeguard against an intoxicated student getting a Minor in Possession for calling an ambulance for another intoxicated student. The Michigan Vision Party's platform promoted tangibility - or small events that improve stu- dents' experience at the University. The Students 4 Progressive Gov- ernance new student constitution also passed last night with 2,356 votes in favor of the measure. Since the document was passed, the structure of MSA will be revised accordingly in the coming weeks. Current MSA Vice President Michael Rorro, chair of S4PG, told the Daily earlier this month that the new constitution will allow students to have "greater access" to how their $7.19 student govern- ment fee is being spent. The new structure includes the creation of the University Council - a body of MSA representatives who can call for a vote on a drafted resolution for their constituents. The resolutions that are approved by the University Council will appear before MSA during the assembly's weekly meetings. CHECK OUT OUR HOCKEY LIVEBLOG MICHIGAN DAILY.COM/BLOGS/THE GAME GARDASIL. [Human Papillomavirus Quadrivalent (Types 6, 11,16,and 18) Vaccine, Recombinant] EARDASIL IS WIDELY AVAILABLE AND MANY PRIVATE INSURANCE PLANS* COVER IT. TALK TO YOUR CAMPUS HEALTH CENTER OR OTHER HEALTH CARE PROFESSIONAL. You are encouraged to report negative side effects of prescription drugs to the FDA. 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