The four Government of the Student Body specialty seats will remain a part of the GSB senate, although more students voted to remove the seats.

As a referendum on the general-election ballot, the fate of the four seats – American ethnic minority, disabilities, international and nontraditional – was supported by the 2,320 students who voted to save the seats.

Although a majority vote of 2,582 students wanted to remove the seats with the referendum vote, every constitutional amendment needs a majority of all votes cast. The referendum would have needed at least 3,145 votes to pass, said GSB Election Commissioner Chris Wisher.

“I’m so excited – I couldn’t have asked for better,” said GSB Vice President Lisa Dlouhy.

Dlouhy and GSB President Ben Golding worked with other specialty-seat advocates to educate students about the importance of the specialty seats. However, many students said they were confused and misled by information provided about the referendum on the ballot, which may have led to the higher number of students who voted in favor of the referendum to remove the seats, Dlouhy said.

However, she said, that doesn’t matter now.

“Regardless of the turnout, it didn’t pass,” Dlouhy said. “It sends a strong statement about how students at Iowa State feel about specialty seats.”

Considering the confusion surrounding the referendum on the ballot and the petition for the referendum, which was circulated by Rick Cordaro, senior in electrical engineering, the fight to save the seats was an emotional roller coaster for specialty senators.

“I’m ecstatic,” said Katie Greiman, who was elected for her third term as GSB disabilities senator. “It’s been a very crazy last couple of weeks. The short time we had to promote the specialty seats and their importance really put a lot of pressure on us.”

Cordaro said he was pleased with the voter turnout, especially since more students voted to remove, rather than save, the seats.

“The students really spoke on this one,” he said.

Kivanc Kahya, who was written in for his second term as the GSB international senator, said it was a team effort to save the seats.

“Thanks to everybody who did anything for this cause,” said Kahya, who will remain seated, pending his acceptance of the write-in victory.

P’Angela Haynes, president of the Black Student Alliance, also said the referendum decision was “a victory well deserved.”

“That is the only voice for minorities on campus,” she said. “To take that away would be unjust.”

Greiman said she looks forward to serving students with disabilities, and she said the vote is an important step toward acceptance for diversity.

“I think it’s a positive thing,” she said. “It shows the students care about diversity and making sure we have it on the senate.”