The Williams Student Union (WSU) announced the results of its spring election on Feb. 25. Twelve students were elected as representatives this semester, with only the Class of 2027 representatives facing a contested election. This outcome marks an increase in candidates from the previous semester, when only 11 of the 12 representative spots were filled.
Dylan Safai ’26, a WSU representative noted the increased candidate interest. “The elections this year have been great,” Safai told the Record. “We had students running in every position, in every grade.”
The elected representatives for the spring semester are Samir Ahmed ’24, Gwyn Chilcoat ’24, Ollie Saleh ’24, Emerald Dar ’25, James Johson-Brown ’25.5, Kjellen Macbain ’25.5, Wes Morrison ’26, Safai, Ydhan Naidoo ’26, Nifty Haile ’27, Osegie Osayimwen ’27, and Merrick Rash ’27.
Voter turnout dropped this year, with only 11 percent of the student body casting votes. This marks a substantial drop in voting, down from 24.3 percent in the fall 2023 election and 31.7 percent in the 2023 spring election.
The low turnout can be partially attributed to uncontested elections for the sophomore, junior, and senior classes. Morrison hopes to promote future elections. “I hope to produce a video to promote WSU this semester that shows students what student advocacy is on campus,” he wrote to the Record.
Safai described this election cycle as a milestone for WSU, which was created in 2020 as part of a three-pillar system to replace the now-disbanded College Council with WSU, Facilitators for Student Taxes (FAST), and The Advisory Board for Lobbying and Elections (TABLE). “We have a great number of agenda items as well as a number of graduating seniors who have been here since the inception of the WSU that we will miss dearly,” Safai said. “We’re going to be at a loss this upcoming year, but it will be a great spring semester with many planned community events.”
WSU held its biannual Meet The Candidates event on Feb. 21, where candidates spoke about their plans for the spring semester and responded to student questions.
Candidates campaigned on a diversity of issues in this election. Platforms included improving Dining Services and transportation services, expanding gym hours at Lasell Gymnasium, and forming better connections among WSU, FAST, and TABLE.
“As a candidate, what I am looking forward to most this semester is making Williams need-blind for international applicants,” Safai said. “Currently, Williams is not, and we are need-blind for domestic applicants, but many of our sister institutions with even smaller endowments have need-blind admissions for international students.” Morrison told the Record that he plans to focus on “protecting the student role in the Honor and Disciplinary Committee and maintaining the sanctity of the student voice” in the upcoming semester.
Many of the candidates, like Ydhan Naidoo ’26, emphasized the importance of strengthening communication between the student body and the College’s administration. “I’m really excited to work on bridging the gap between the administrators, the faculty, and the students,” Naidoo said. “I will be working to get the student voices across campus to reach where they need to reach.”
