Around 74% of eligible voters casted their votes to elect their 2020-2021 student representatives on November 2 between 9 a.m. and 4 p.m. RHU’s 7th Annual Student Council Elections, where students advocate for students, was held online for the first time due to the restrictions inflicted by COVID 19. Out of the 17 candidates running for office, nine won the elections. Results were announced live via RHU’s Official Instagram account @rhu.lebanon and in due time through official emails circulated by the Student Affairs Office.
“The high participation rate, 74%, was a clear indication how much students trust RHU's commitment to the principle of maintaining the SRC's participation in decision making process in student related matters. Moreover, despite the COVID-19 restrictions and students' impotence to be on campus, the first-time online voting experience was a very smooth one. The candidates did an amazing job campaigning online,” said Ms. Sahar Hallak, Student Affairs Manager.
The winners were Ms. Malak Laza (Independent Campaign), Mr. Ahmad Hammoud (Stronger Together Campaign) and Mr. Abed Al Aziz Hajj Shehadeh (Stronger Together Campaign) for the College of Engineering, Mr. Mohammad Ramadan (Stronger Together Campaign) and Mr. Mohammad Wehbi (Stronger Together Campaign) representing the College of Business Administration, Mr. Mohammad Darwish (Independent Campaign) and Mr. Mohammad Joudi (Independent Campaign) representing the College of Arts and Sciences. As for the Graduate Study and Freshman programs, Mr. Khalid El Zaatari (Stronger Together Campaign) and Ms. Tala Cherkawi (Independent Campaign) were elected by acclamation being the only candidates running for those positions respectively.
Reflecting on his experience in the election process, Mr. Mohammad Joudi, one of the winners, says, “Each year, RHU students participate in a vital democratic process that determines who better represents and raises the concerns and suggestions of students to the university's directors. I’d like to start by thanking the university’s administration for allowing such process to take place in a fair competitive environment. This year's election showed huge participation from our fellow colleagues and yielded great results for the sake of improving our beloved university. The election results set an example for fairness and acceptance. I congratulate all the winners in the student representative council and promise to work together as one to make the students’ voices heard. I’d also like to thank the independent groups and organizations who supported our campaign on various social media platforms to bring awareness of our democratic process.”
RHU would like to congratulate the newly elected SRC and wish them a fruitful and productive year!