For the second straight year, the 2004 class president will be a student who wasn't even on the ballot, but was instead a write-in. Mustafa Abdur-Rahim, the newly-elected president, will join vice president-elect Ben Phillips on the 2004 Class Council next year.
Both Phillips and Abdur-Rahim bring fresh ideas to their positions that they will seek to implement on behalf of the '04s.
Abdur-Rahim plans to increase non-alcoholic social options on campus, noting that as a Muslim, "I don't drink, so I have a particular interest in making more options." He also seeks to create a free bike-rental service for '04s.
Ideas such as these are feasible, according to Phillips, because of the successful financial management of previous councils.
Abdur-Rahim's plans for the council are not limited to just new programs, however. He also wants to focus on including more of the community in the actions of the council.
"I want to inform people what their council actually does," Abdur-Rahim said. "If you don't know, you can't know what to expect from them, or when to hold them responsible. Class council cannot be held behind a black sheet."
Neither Abdur-Rahim nor Phillips were officers on the council last year. Abdur-Rahim's interest began last year, when he first decided that he was going to become more active in the council. It was at that time, according to Abdur-Rahim, that he started attending council meetings so he could "understand how the council works, and see what goes on at meetings."
Over the summer he began plans for his presidential campaign, but Abdur-Rahim said he was disappointed when he found out he'd have to wait until Fall term for the election. However, when this fall came and the elections approached, Abdur-Rahim said he began to lose interest in the process.
"Over the summer I wanted to get the elections out of the way, even if I was going to lose," Abdur-Rahim said. "And when I came back in the fall, I was doubtful that I was going to run. I had lost much of my drive. But after talking to friends and others I decided that it was something I still wanted to do, so I started up work on my campaign again."
However, the day Abdur-Rahim made the decision to re-enter the election happened to be the day after candidates' petitions were due. Consequently, Abdur-Rahim had to run as a write-in.
As a write-in candidate, Abdur-Rahim became increasingly skeptical as to his chances. He lacked the campaign team to match some of the advertising of his opponents, so he relied on technology and personality.
"For the last week I've been up until five in the morning blitzing everyone I knew with personal blitzes," Abdur-Rahim said. "I ran partly on my character."
Phillips, unlike Abdur-Rahim, was the only candidate on the ballot for his office. Consequently, he met with little competition and will look to prove himself on the council. He said he looks forward to working with Abdur Rahim.
"It's interesting to see a write-in candidate win two years in a row. It tells you that even if we think people are apathetic in general, there are still a few mavericks out there who are really pushing it," Phillips said.
