Colin Hood, the current vice president of organizations for Student Council, was named the incoming Council president yesterday night with 3,587 votes - double that of his closest competitor - while third-year College student Jen Bristol and second-year College student Evan Shields also secured positions on Council's executive committee.
"I'm beyond thrilled and I'm really looking forward and really excited to get things going," Hood said. "We have to work with the right people; we have to do tangible things and make sure people know about that."
Outgoing Council President John Nelson said Hood is and will continue to be a tremendous asset to Council.
"I've had the opportunity to work with Colin for three years, and he's going to be a terrific leader on Council next year," Nelson said. "He brings a ton of experience to the executive committee and understands the appropriations process like no one else at the University."
Shields, who ran in an uncontested election, will succeed Hood as vice president of organizations. He said he used the time leading up to the election results to meet with individuals serving on the Appropriations Committee, within the contracted independent organizations consultant program and officials in the Newcomb Business Office to begin cultivating good relationships.
"I've been working really hard on the campaign and I'm really glad to see the fruits of my labor come into their fruition," Shields said.
Going forward, Shields said ensuring that Council does not ignore the upcoming transition period is his top priority.
"My first goal is having a smooth transition," he said. "My second goal is bringing in a really enthusiastic, knowledgeable and excited team to work with me on Appropriations, CIO consultants and the Board of Auditing and Management."
Nelson noted that Shields' perspective will add depth to Council's executive committee.
"Evan is dedicated to diving into the appropriations process and finding areas that can be improved," Nelson said. "Evan brings an outsider's perspective to executive board, and I think ... it brings a lot to the table."
Hood also expressed satisfaction with the prospect of working with Shields.
"I'm looking forward to working with Evan," Hood said. "It's been a long time since a VPO has been president ... and I think having me there after a year as VPO is going to give him an advantage ... I'm looking forward to see how that works out."
Joining Shields and Hood on Council's executive board is Bristol, who is currently Council's director of University relations. Bristol plans to use Council's various connections to further engage the University community.
"I talked with a lot of different student groups to work with them to make sure that we are as open as possible," Bristol said. "I really feel that we are pretty representative now and I think we need to be utilizing the different connections that our members have ... I really feel like Student Council is most productive when it's members feel the most engaged and involved so that they have leadership in Student Council."
Nelson is confident Bristol will continue to bring great leadership to Council.
"Jen brings a ton of energy to Council and to the executive committee, Nelson said. "She did a terrific job as director of University relations and I'm sure that she'll do equally great job as vice president of administration."
Similarly, Hood noted that his past experiences with working with Bristol allow him to be confident in her abilities.
"I've worked with Jen Bristol since first year so I look forward to working with her," Hood said. "She has great skills sets."
Hood's closest competitor, second-year College student Dan Morrison, hopes there is a place for him in the new administration.
"I'm happy to say that before the race I definitely called Colin a friend and I certainly call him a friend now," Morrison said. "Hopefully I can slide in, and we can work together to bring a lot of his ideas to the table, and I'm hoping that we can put some of my ideas on the table, as well. Really, the reason I ran is that I wanted to see some things change at the end of the day, and I hope I shed some light on that. That's all I really wanted."
In the meantime, Hood plans to channel much of Council's energy into the upcoming spring recruitment period, among other issues.
"We've got to do outreach," Hood said. "We have to engage every community."
Hood, who received 10 out of 12 endorsements from various University student organizations, said he is ready to hit the ground running.
"Get ready - it's game time now," Hood said.
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