On Monday night, the 2016-17 Student Association E-Board election results were confirmed during Student Congress.

Next year Nicholas Ferrara will be president, Raaga Rajagopala will be executive vice president (EVP), Kate Tashman will remain vice president for finance (VPF), Adam Wilkes will be vice president for academic affairs (VPAA), Jermel McClure, Jr. will be vice president for multicultural affairs (VPMA) and Max Maurice will be vice president for programming (VPP).

But the election season is not yet over. On Wednesday, from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m., students can vote in the EVP special election to decide whether candidates Troy Parker or Jeremy Rosenberg will hold the position for the remainder of the spring 2016 semester. In addition to this, the ballot will also ask for participants to vote on the student activity fee and constitutional changes.

According to Julie Kline, chair of the planning, research and elections committee (PRE) and a junior double-majoring in English and human development, it is important that students vote ‘yes’ to continue a mandatory activity fee.

“The student activity fee is currently mandatory, so every student has to pay the fee,” she said. “This is what basically funds the SA, Harpur’s Ferry, student organizations — all of that. Without it being mandatory, the SA would basically not exist.”

Ferrara also stressed the importance of the activity fee, saying that there wouldn’t be much to be president of if the mandatory vote fails.

“No one likes paying money but the $99 Undergraduate Activity Fee is some of the wisest money Binghamton students ever spend,” said Ferrara, a junior majoring in political science. “Everything from OCCT to our 300 student groups are funded by it, so everyone loses if the fee disappears.”

Tashman, the VPF and a junior double-majoring in biomedical engineering and mathematics, presented the proposal for the allocation of next year’s student activity fee. Because the student activity fee has not yet been voted on, the numbers will not become official until the end of the week, and will then be verified at the next Student Congress meeting.

Financial committee chair Ryan Sheppard, a senior double-majoring in accounting and geography, announced that the budgets for student groups on campus have been finalized. Student groups will have 72 hours to submit a written budget appeal, due at noon on Thursday, and members of Student Congress can sponsor appeals if they wish. The appeals will also be voted on at the next Student Congress meeting.

“If there is an appeal that is going to be sponsored, we will hear it on the Congress floor,” Sheppard said. “When it’s all set and done, by the end of next Congress meeting, we will have an entirely passed budget.”

According to the PRE report, SA E-Board election voter turnout dropped since last year, with only 2,735 students participating in the election. Ferrara received 47.61 percent, followed by Matos’ 35.86 percent and Klafehn’s 5.63 percent. Ferrara said he was looking forward to the future of the SA office.

“It’s a real honor to have been chosen as the next SA president,” Ferrara said. “We have a great Executive Board for next year and I can’t wait to see what we can accomplish together.”

Rajagopala won with 63.62 percent of votes compared to Santabarbara’s 30.54 percent, and Tashman earned a second year as VPF with 67.84 percent over Tesler’s 27.49 percent. Unopposed candidates Wilkes, McClure and Maurice earned 88.31 percent, 89.65 percent and 94.32 percent respectively.

“I’m so thankful and honored to have won the election,” said Rajagopala, a sophomore double-majoring in economics and French. “I can’t wait to spend the next year getting to know our student body.”