Nina Freeman and Eva Orlich Rojas have been elected president and vice president in the 2026 Eastern Michigan University Student Government election with 55% of the vote, according to unofficial election results sent to The Eastern Echo by Student Government Co-Adviser Leigh Greden and submitted by Election Commissioner Max Butler.
Freeman and Orlich received 743 votes, while opponents Yasrib Farook and Mirna Shehab fell short with 607 votes. 1,350 EMU students cast their votes for Student Government during the election period, which opened the morning of March 25, and closed at 8 p.m., March 26.
Eight candidates ran for senate on the ballot, along with two write-in candidates. All 10 candidates who were eligible for election to the Senate have been voted in.
The full list of elected senators is Allison Dorta, Ifeadikanwa "Ify" Eze, Emiliano Garcia, Ahnika Gaydos, Engin Efe Gokce (write-in candidate), Malkia Karagwa, Josephine Oloye (write-in candidate), Raj Rahman, Piper Schumaker and Trent Springer.
President-Elect Freeman will have the power to select an executive board from a pool of applicants who apply for positions, according to Student Government bylaws. The president must submit the applications of proposed appointments to the Senate within five calendar days of the appointment. The appointment occurs when the appointee officially accepts the position offered. Appointments are deemed confirmed by the Senate unless two-thirds of the Senate rejects the appointment at its next meeting following notification of the appointment.
Freeman is the current Student Government vice president, serving alongside Jack Booth, the current president. Orlich serves on the International Student Association e-board. This year, their ticket ran on a platform to prioritize student organization funding and support, expand food access, collaborate with campus departments, advocate for winter campus accessibility, and ease campus transition for international students, stated a post about their platform on their campaign Instagram, @freeman-orlich.
The current Student Government term will end at 12 p.m. on the final day of the winter semester, the bylaws state. Student Government has been operating with a $150,000 budget for the 2026 fiscal year.
More information about EMU's Student Government can be found on the organization's website.
Read more about the incoming Student Government:
Candidates for EMU's 113th Student Senate share their visions for governing - The Eastern Echo
