Alcohol met democracy last Wednesday when Associated Students, Inc. gathered to announce the victors in this year?s election. Regarding the previous, I want to assure you in advance that the two drinks I had did not jumble this account of the event, though I am writing this approximately 15 minutes after the election ended, while they still had a moderate effect. This column was thoroughly checked for accuracy the next morning.

Features writer Jason Okamoto, who joined me at the pre-announcement party, gave an interesting description of the scenario. Said Okamoto, “I?ve been to some shady places in my life, but this tops it.” Perhaps he was being a bit melodramatic, but the enthusiasm shown by the students involved was impressive to say the least. The alcohol helped.

“Give me a C!” one student yelled, beginning to spell out “CSUS.” Actually, they began to give me a headache, so I walked outside to have a chat with presidential candidate Howard Story. He called me his “left hand man.” I was quite disturbed by this description, since Story had been involved in a protest against The State Hornet that morning?where he waved a sign that read “Don?t believe The Hornet?s lies,” referring to a critical story of him that week.

I said I wasn?t anyone?s man (this is a lie of course;. I take orders from both my mom and our editor in chief quite regularly), and wished him good luck as the crowd began milling around the steps on the south end of the University Union to hear the results. There I began to chat with an anxious Crystal Chase, who will be the next Vice President of University Affairs. She insisted that everything she told me was off the record, so I had fun making her nervous by writing down everything she said. Actually, she didn?t say anything secretive enough to warrant being off the record. She just voiced some concerns over the “Hornet jinx,” since three out of four candidates endorsed by The Hornet last year lost. Chase was endorsed this year.

Meanwhile, bongos, fog-horns and rampant screaming were the backdrop to our conversation. To be honest, I only heard about half of it. Sorry, Crystal. By now, Lobby Corps Chair Brendan Wonnocott was beginning to get antsy.

“I wanna go hoooome,” he said. Meanwhile, some in the 180 slate chanted “Ole? Ole? Ole?!” as the election announcements drew closer. One student voiced his support for director of social sciences candidate Christine Andrade.

“Christine Adrade is a hottie,” he said. Democracy at work.

By coincidence or not, the lights dimmed as ASI President Artemio Pimentel took the podium to announce the winners. I could have sworn I was at an Elvis concert. “Artie, Artie, Artie!” the crowd yelled. At this point I thought it would be cool if a crowd yelled “Josh, Josh, Josh!” with a fevered pitch, but I kept this fantasy to myself.

In any event, Chase and the 180 slate nearly ran the tables in the executive positions. Eric Guerra took the presidency, and Peter Ucovich will be vice president of finance. Student?s Voice candidate Luke Wood will be executive vice president.

All four should make great representatives who will look out for student interests. Guerra and the 180 slate promised to lobby for more full time professors and Sacramento State funding at the state level. Wood said he will fight for campus safety and parking. These are important issues I hope they?ll stick with.

For the record, all four Hornet endorsed candidates won. So much for the jinx. Though all the winners deserve our heartfelt congratulations for their hard fought campaigns, the real heroes here are the Round Table employess who picked up the empty beer glasses.

Is Josh Leon still hung over? E-mail him at [email protected].

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