For Xavier Billingsley and Helena Kooi, the results of the Missouri Students Association presidential election would come to define the rest of their college careers. If elected as MSA president and vice president, respectively, both Billingsley and Kooi would actively become the student leaders of MU.
After months of visiting student organizations, talking to students in Speakers Circle and campaigning, Billingsley and Kooi were announced as winners of the MSA presidential election Thursday night in the Leadership Lounge of the MU Student Center.
“I’m excited to be here,” Billingsley said. “I’m passionate and thankful for everyone at the university for their help and support.”
When Billingsley and Kooi announced their candidacy this September, their campaign was the first to officially register with the Board of Elections Commissioners. Roughly two months after officially announcing their candidacy with the slogan “Elevate Mizzou,” the slate will assume the office of president and vice president at the beginning of spring semester.
“I’m ready to get started,” Kooi said. “I’m glad that the election period is over. It’s time to push past that and get started doing real things and get to the real job.”
Voting started at 6 p.m. Monday and ended at 6 p.m. Wednesday. The BEC delayed announcing the results for 24 hours in order to investigate a possible infraction against one of the three campaigns. BEC chairman Thomas Bourneuf said that he could not say which slate was being investigated.
Billingsley-Kooi earned 44 percent of the popular vote with 2,487 votes total, according to a release from the BEC. Slate Greg Loeffler and Lauren Damico had 30 percent of the vote and 1,704 votes overall while slate Everett Bruer and Lexie Cartee earned 25 percent of the popular vote and had 1,404 votes cast in their favor.
“Xavier and Helena will do a great job and I have the utmost fate in them,” Loeffler said. “I will continue to work with them all the way through their term.”
During their campaign, Billinsgley and Kooi said they wanted to have a One Mizzou week to help encourage unity within the study body. Following the announcement of their victory, Kooi said the One Mizzou week project was her first priority.
“We want to start having plans for One Mizzou rolled out,” Kooi said. “We want to do the One Mizzou week in the spring. That’s definitely going to be one of our first focuses, just making sure we can start booking speakers and perfomers and trying to get that laid out.”
Next week, Billingsley and Kooi will be attending a Big 12 conference. The conference will mark the slate’s first time representing MU as president and vice president. Current MSA President Eric Woods and Vice President Emily Moon will join them at the conference.
“We have to get that situated going to the Big 12 conference,” Billingsley said. “Picking our cabinet is also going to be next on our to do list. I also really want to work with Campus Dining Services. I think they’ll be really open to including health options in the student center.”
While their term doesn’t officially start until next semester, both Kooi and Billingsley said they want to start working immediately to help the MU student body. Thursday night, however, was a night for the campaign to celebrate their victory with the family and friends who had gathered together in the student center to hear the election announcement.
“It’s crazy,” Billingsley said. “I’m just blessed to be here right now.”
