Studying abroad on a different continent did not stop junior Sam Wallis from becoming the new Tufts Community Union (TCU) president in the early hours of the morning.
"I'm really, really excited and really humbled because I've never seen people who've supported me in this way," Wallis said after hearing the results of the election.
He beat out his only opponent, Senator Lauren Levine, a junior, with a campaign that emphasized its grassroots nature and a platform centered on making tangible and sought-after improvements to students' lives.
"We built a campaign around great student ideas and not around me and what I wanted to do … and I'm really proud of that," Wallis said. "We had a very big team, and we roped a lot of people into it and made a huge effort into getting the message out."
Wallis thanked his campaign team and credited its members for his victory.
"I think the campaign was a lot of fun, and the team just worked so hard and I'm really happy to have won for them, because all the ideas and all of the designs and the advertising just came from them, and I'm really happy that we could win it for them," Wallis said.
According to Tufts Election Commission Chair Sharon Chen, a sophomore, 47.79 percent of undergraduates participated in the election — only a slight drop from last year's turnout of 48 percent. Chen said that the election went smoothly.
The ballot also contained four referenda, all of which passed, according to Chen. The first two referenda concerned changes to certain procedures and committees specified in the the TCU constitution.
The third and fourth referenda were competing proposals on reforms to the Senate's community representative position, with the former motioning for community representatives to be granted full voting rights — something for which the current system does not provide.
Since the two referenda cannot both be simultaneously implemented, it will now be up to the TCU Judiciary to determine how to proceed, according to Chen. Referenda 3 got more votes than Referenda 4, but that might not be the deciding factor.
"Three got more votes, but that does not necessarily mean it will be put in place," Chen said, adding that the Judiciary would be considering the matter.
After flying back to campaign, Wallis will be returning to Israel tomorrow, where he has been studying abroad this semester. He expressed his excitement about continuing the momentum of the election.
"I think the first thing is just to talk to all the people who've helped the whole way and just to thank them," Wallis said. "We set a very ambitious agenda, and now we've got the rest of the school year and the rest of the summer to prepare for fall, when we'll hit the ground running."
Outgoing TCU President Brandon Rattiner, a senior, had nothing but praise for the new president-elect.
"I think the school made a great choice; I think Sam Wallis is one of the smartest, most talented and most genuine people I've met in my entire life," Rattiner said. "From both a personal and professional level, Sam has done nothing but impress me for years. I always knew he had it in him, and I think the school is going to be a much better place for allowing him the opportunity to lead."
Rattiner also applauded Levine for her campaign and platform.
"I think that Lauren Levine ran a really great campaign," he said. "I think she is a smart and talented woman, and I look forward to seeing what she can do on campus."
Wallis, likewise, commended Levine. "I think Lauren did a great job on her campaign," he said.
Levine expressed her satisfaction with her campaign and extended congratulations to Wallis. "I thank my supporters for believing in me, I'm proud of the campaign I ran, and I congratulate Sam," she said.
Addressing a campaign season that was at times marked by controversy, Wallis said that when it came to the crunch, both campaigns focused on what really mattered.
"Toward the end of the campaign, Lauren and I really got down to it and made it about the platform and that's how it really should be," Wallis said. "We just set all the campaign issues aside and, especially in the last debate, Lauren and I were really able to go face-to-face and make it about our ideas."
Wallis believes that many of the questions that arose were results of the unique nature of his bid for the presidency.
"I think we ran a campaign in a way that had never been done before because I was running from abroad," he said. "Because it had never been done before, everything had to be figured out, but in the end, I think everything is going to work out in a good way."
