The election campaign posters are down. The email messages coming in are no longer asking students to vote for particular candidates, but are congratulating the winner of a well-contested Ashesi Student Council election.
In an overwhelming 71% majority, the Ashesi student community chose Michael Quansah ’14 to be their next President, and Jennifer Emefa Senoo ‘14 their Vice President. Delali Vogbe ’14, and Daniel Ankomah ’14 were also elected as Judicial and Electoral Committee (JEC) Chairperson and Vice-Chairperson respectively.
Voter turnout for the election this year was one of the highest ever in Ashesi’s recent history. 85% of the student body voted, despite complaints that access to the voting portal had died for a while during the day.
“I am excited to have been given this opportunity,” said Michael Quansah ’14. “It is humbling to know that my peers trust me with this responsibility, and I am determined to make a strong impact in this community.”
Micheal, a Computer Science major, and his Vice President Jennifer Emefa Senoo ’14, a Business Administration major, believe that the ASC Presidency is “truly a call to service.”
The two candidates have both served in previous student government administrations, and explain that they have “identified the rough edges that need to be smoothened to help further Ashesi’s vision of delivering world class education, and ensure that it is faithful to its mission of training ethical entrepreneurial leaders in Africa.” Over the next few days before the formal inauguration, Michael and Emefa will be putting together a new team to steer the affairs of Ashesi’s student community.
The two plan to focus on “developing a stronger sense of community and school spirit” and improving some key components of Ashesi’s infrastructure, including internet and learning resource reliability and availability, resources for student wellbeing and safety on campus, and current sports facilities at Ashesi.