According to unofficial election results obtained by the Michigan Review, a party running on a platform of anti-Israel activism has likely won the presidency of Central Student Government (CSG) and 22 of the 45 CSG Assembly seats.
The party, called SHUT IT DOWN, states in its platform:
If CSG cannot be used to support our pursuit of divestment, we will take decisive action to disrupt the status quo. We will halt CSG activity and funding disbursal until the University of Michigan divests. . . . Every dollar coming out of this university is blood money. Student government cannot operate as usual as we witness the systematic murder of Palestinians.
LSA junior Alifa Chowdhury and LSA sophomore Elias Atkinson are projected to have won the presidency and vice presidency for SHUT IT DOWN. Twenty-two SHUT IT DOWN candidates are projected to have won seats in the Assembly from their respective colleges and schools; this includes 8 of the 15 seats from LSA, 2 of the 7 seats from the College of Engineering, and 4 of the 7 seats from Rackham Graduate School.
CSG funding supports student clubs, student scholarships, a test-prep program for low-income students, a low-cost shuttle to and from Detroit Metropolitan Airport, and subscriptions to the New York Times and Wall Street Journal, among other initiatives.
Polls closed at 10:00 p.m. on March 28. Official election results will be announced after a three-day delay, during which time CSG may consider candidates’ alleged rule violations and disqualify candidates.
This is a developing story. It will be updated as more information becomes available.
