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Southern student, Laurissa Mancia, win Collegedale City redign competition Volume 81 Issue 16
The Student Voice Since 1929
Pressing Issue, page 2 Protection at a Price: The cost of working the overnight shift at the residence halls February 25, 2026
Collegedale, Tennessee
SA Election: Social Vice President to be decided
Candidates for the 2026 Student Association elections. (Photo by Ava Schmidt).
Hayden Kobza Editor-in-Chief Kyla Wetmore Reporter Naomi Ann Martinez, a junior theology major, won the Student Association (SA) presidential election unopposed on Feb. 19, at 11 p.m. She received 421 yes votes and 316 no votes. Joining her is newly elected Executive Vice President Alejandro Robles, a sophomore biology major with a biomedical emphasis who also ran unopposed. Robles received 659 yes votes and 78 no votes. Incumbent Jordan Collazo, a freshman social work major, and Ruthie Roque, a senior business administration major, ran against each other for the role of SA social vice president. However, the election was too close to call due to a glitch in the voting system, according to Dennis Negrón, vice president of Student Development.
“The system was not allowing those who had arranged classes, online studies or directed studies [to receive their ballot],” Negrón. The members of the SA Bylaws Committee, who wanted to remain anonymous, voted two-to-one for a student body revote of the social vice president race, according to Parliamentarian Vincent Havin Yang, junior biology major. Negrón said the committee opted to revote because some students claimed that they had not received their ballots. Voter Turnout There were 737 voters this year, compared to 1,255 voters in the 20242025 academic year election. Student Development and SA had incorrectly included any student with a minimum of six credit hours in previous elections, which contributed to the decrease in
Protection at a Price: The cost of working the overnight shift at the residence halls Read more on page 2
See SA Election on page 3
“I’m so grateful to God. My heart is so grateful.” - Naomi Ann Martinez