Kole Wolfe (SFS ’24) and Zeke Ume-Ukeje (COL ’24) will be the next GUSA Executive president and vice president following an election by the undergraduate student body conducted between Feb. 10 and Feb. 12, the GUSA Election Commission announced on Twitter at 3:30 a.m. EST on Feb. 13.
1,727 students voted in the election by the time polls closed at 11:59 p.m. EST on Saturday night, per the Election Commission’s results.
Wolfe and Ume-Ukeje’s campaign emphasized their outsider status in GUSA and advocated for the revitalization of the GUSA restructure/reform referendum and the improvement of mental health services on campus. They platformed on addressing the low student engagement with GUSA and the embracement of an endemic approach to the university’s COVID-19 policies.
The incoming Executive team faced criticism during their campaign for lack of prior involvement in student advocacy efforts, particularly activism surrounding GU272 advocacy. Additionally, Wolfe and Ume-Ukeje came under scrutiny for a possible campaign law violation that resulted in their speaking time being cut in the GUSA town hall.
According to a GUSA statement, a complaint was submitted against the campaign when a video surfaced of alcohol present at an event with a Wolfe/Ume-Ukeje sign. Per GUSA election laws, candidates are not allowed to campaign in the presence of alcohol or exceed a $300 expenditure, but because there was no proof either candidate attended the event, the campaign was not suspended. Wolfe and Ume-Ukeje denied these accusations in an interview with the Voice.
The Wolfe and Ume-Ukeje campaign also advocated for expanding funding for the Center for Social Justice (CSJ), offering cabinet positions to members of underrepresented groups on campus—such as the Native American Student Council and GU Pride—and opening up dialogue with Hoya parents on safety issues.
“I think for all its need of adaption and innovation, at its core, GUSA is an institution that is meant to address the diverse and complicated needs of our student body,” current GUSA President Nile Blass (COL ’22) wrote in a statement to the Voice. “While the democratic process has played out, it is disheartening that many students cannot look to their leaders-elect with the certainty that they can understand and substantively address these needs. It is our hope that the campaign is not representative of the administration.”
The vote totals and distribution will be clarified at a public GUSA meeting at 3 p.m. on Sunday, Feb. 13.
