Former SGA presidential candidate Jeff Malloy predicted he would be dancing the night away Tuesday night in the lobby of Hurst and Mysch halls.
After the SGA presidential election results came in, however, there was not much dancing going on.
About 30 supporters gathered with the Malloy slate Tuesday, waiting for the election results as music blared from speakers and disco balls littered the lobby with light. Malloy said he chose to hold his slate party in a residence hall to celebrate with younger students.
"The future is here," he said. "The next generation of Ball State is here tonight, and that is who we are going to celebrate with."
The celebration stopped and the music died down around 7 p.m. when Malloy received a call from Josh Wilson, the elections board chairman. The previously confident Malloy was starting to show signs of anxiety.
"I'm getting nervous for the first time," he said to Lee Morrison, Malloy's choice for treasurer, while he rubbed his stomach and held a cell phone to his ear.
"They're going to do a coin toss," Malloy said to his supporters. Moments later, Malloy spoke again in a much more somber voice. "We lost. OK. All right. Thank you," he said into the phone. The room fell silent. The slate members huddled and hugged. During the huddle, Malloy told his slate members that coming to the university, not knowing anyone and putting a slate together for the biggest positions on campus were accomplishments in themselves. Malloy said after losing the election, he feels a great responsibility to the 848 students who voted for him. "I almost feel like I've let 848 students down," he said. "Eight hundred and forty-eight students really believed in us, and I don't want the stuff that came up in our campaign to be a lost cause." Malloy said he plans to continue his cause by serving as an Resident Assistant and running for an at-large Senate position. The three other slate members will remain active on campus and run for other SGA positions. "We are still excited and still want to work our hardest to make a difference on campus," Laura Harris, former secretary candidate for the Malloy slate, said. Harris said she is looking forward to fulfilling her term as Phi Mu president and possibly running for an SGA Senator position. Michelle Hudson, who Malloy chose to be vice president, described the loss as bittersweet, but she said she plans on running for president of the Black Student Association and a senate position in SGA. Morrison said he also plans to run for a senate position and said the election made him stronger. "Everyone faces disappointment sometimes," he said. "It's what you do afterwards that matters. It can make you stronger or you can allow it to whip you."
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