Jeffrie Chambers IV, a sophomore in the Kogod School of Business, has been elected by the American University student body as the next Student Government president for the 2025-2026 academic year.
Referendum 20-001, which asked students whether they wanted the University to become a sanctuary campus, passed with a majority of voting students supporting the sanctuary campus proposal.
Chambers IV served as a member of the Undergraduate Senate his freshman year and was the chair of the committee on Inclusivity, Diversity, Equity and Accessibility during his tenure.
Chambers IV will succeed Arusa Islam, a senior in the School of Public Affairs, who has served as president since elected in spring 2024.
Voter turnout, at 1,299, decreased by 1.5 percent from the spring 2024 elections.
Over 2,000 students voted in the fall 2024 elections when multiple referendums surrounding AU’s potential arming of the AU Police Department and to “rescind AU’s long standing position to oppose boycotts, divestment from Israel, and other related actions” appeared on the ballot. It was one of the highest turnouts in fall elections.
Quinn Fitzpatrick, a junior in SPA, has been elected vice president, beating his opponent Max Morse-deBrier by 14 percentage points. Fitzpatrick currently serves as a member of the Undergraduate Senate and is the chair of the committee on Student Rights and Academic Services.
Hanna Hajdu, a sophomore in the College of Arts and Sciences, will serve as comptroller after running unopposed for the position. Hajdu currently serves as speaker pro tempore of the Undergraduate Senate and was a co-sponsor of the ballot’s only referendum to make AU a sanctuary campus.
Megan Williams, a junior in CAS, has been elected as secretary, beating her opponent Ty Burrell by a little under five percentage points.
Students pass referendum in face of Trump immigration policies
Of the students who voted, 86.84 percent supported the referendum to make AU a sanctuary campus.
SG will send the referendum results to the administration, which will then decide whether to implement the policies of a sanctuary campus. The University is not obligated to implement student-supported referendums and has rarely taken direct action based on referendums. The University did divest from fossil fuels in 2020 after students passed referendums supporting divestment in the 2020 and 2013 SG elections.
The Undergraduate Council results are listed below. Unlisted positions had no winner.
College of Arts and Sciences Undergraduate Council
President: Adria Kotzian
Vice President: Emmanuela Mbowe-Cruz
Treasurer: Noah Ochital
Kogod School of Business Undergraduate Council
President: Matthew Cohen
Vice President: Sebastien Jordan
Secretary: Bianca Nolan
School of International Service Undergraduate Council
President: Martina Poletti
Vice President: Abigail Nosalik
Treasurer: Jeremy Borman
Secretary: Amani Flener
School of Education Undergraduate Council
President: Syd Clark
Treasurer: Anna Russell
Secretary: Zack Loomis
School of Public Affairs Undergraduate Council
President: Mason Corkhill
Vice President: Anika Lal
Treasurer: Ethan McBride
Secretary: Sydney Schurz
Editor’s note: Sydney Schurz was a contributing life staff writer for The Eagle. She was not involved in the pitching, writing or editing of this story.
This article was edited by Payton Anderson, Tyler Davis and Abigail Turner. Copy editing done by Luna Jinks and Olivia Citarella.
