When Wildcat 91.9 Radio announced that Eli Schooley and Jake Unruh were moving to the student body president and vice president general elections, a shout of brotherhood resonated in the dining room of Farmhouse Fraternity. Schooley, senior in political science, and Unruh, junior in finance, received 54 percent of the student vote.
“I’m excited for these next five days,” Schooley said. “I enjoy working hard, and we’ll be doing that this week, and hopefully a year after that.”
Schooley said he was grateful for the lead.
“We felt like we’d had a strong last few days, but you never know how this will go,” he said.
Supporters of Schooley and Unruh had confidence early on, as they arrived up to an hour early to help set up the watch party.
“From who I’ve talked to, it seems like they’ll move on from here,” said Liam Reilly, senior in civil engineering. “It could go any way though. I’m really excited.”
From here, the duo plans to continue working to increase student awareness of their platforms, and the elections in general.
“We want to make a positive impact on K-State, and we want to make that clear to students,” Unruh said.
Despite the work effort the team had put in, Unruh still waited until the announcement before giving a sigh of relief.
“I was extremely nervous. You have no clue what’s going to happen,” Unruh said. “I was okay, though, because everyone put in so much work.”
Over 50 people came to Farmhouse to participate in the watch party and support Schooley and Unruh. The team’s dedication was the topic of conversation for many.
“I support them because I really like their platform,” said Stephanie Hughes, sophomore in business administration. “I think they’re incredible people, and they’re so dedicated to the K-State students.”
People close to Schooley and Unruh with past experience with the pair felt that the win was well deserved.
“I’ve gotten to know them over the last few years,” said Allie Niederee, junior in kinesiology. “They amaze me. They’re really passionate about what they do; they’re so dedicated, and they have the experience.”
Among the supporters in the crowd of cheers and celebration were Schooley’s parents, John and Marcy Schooley. The couple said they weren’t at all surprised to see their son running for office.
“He’s always loved leadership positions,” Marcy said. “He’s had an interest in it for a long time. I’m not really surprised.”
After the watch party, Schooley said that he would meet with Unruh to prepare for the second round of candidate debates, scheduled for today at 5:30 p.m. in the Union. Schooley said that the plan remains the same.
“We’ll be continuing the work that we’ve been doing and talking one on one with students about our platforms and ideas,” Schooley said.
Unruh agreed that the work was not yet over.
“We’ll continue to get the word out, what we want to do for students,” Unruh said. “It’s gong to take a lot more from here.”
Schooley and Unruh’s supporters will also be out this week, hanging flyers and selling t-shirts. The pair’s supporters plan to remain as dedicated as the candidates are, win or lose.
“I’ll stick with them to the end,” Hughes said.