The Bucks County Community College Student Government Association elections finally took place this semester after being pushed back twice due to the pandemic.

Director of Student Life and Athletics, Matt Cipriano, was available for comment.

Cipriano expressed that the delays were not directly related to the COVID-19 virus, but rather the attempt that candidates were making to acclimate to the election process during a pandemic.

“There just wasn’t the interest there, so I tabled it until this Fall,” said Cipriano.

The return was not a seamless one. According to Cipriano, “We did have a technical issue on the voter platform side.” Due to this technical issue, the election voting was officially called at 4 p.m. on Sept. 20.

It is important to note that the election process at BCCC used to run on a ballot and polling center system, across three separate campuses. Regardless of the pandemic and technical issues, voting in these SGA elections has certainly come a long way.

Cipriano is pleased with the evolution of voting, saying that “Having enough volunteers trying to make sure it is all consistent was really difficult. That’s why online works much better for us.”

The voting process is not the only thing that’s changed over the years. Each new student government brings new focuses, new leaders, new challenges, and adjustments to the SGA constitution.

“There’s been different types of leadership positions added or subtracted depending just on what’s going on at the institution,” says Cipriano”, Sometimes it’s more like policies and procedures things at the institution.”

Being with BCCC for some time now, Cipriano has seen many SGA elections. The unopposed Presidential candidate this year is far from the first time this has happened.

“Sometimes students decide to run against the candidate last minute. They think, ‘Okay I’ll run as a write in’, and then start to gain interest from their friends or classmates.”

Nick Berube is the new SGA president. He’s a former Centurion reporter and Lateefat Adewak was elected as vice president.

Despite the election being over, it’s never too late to get involved in Student Government. More information can be found on the Bucks website.