With 2,417 votes and no official challengers on the ballot, David Cooper easily secured the office of president of the Residence Hall Association.
There were 253 votes for write-in candidates, including some for UNC basketball player Julius Peppers.
Cooper was excited about the amount of votes cast in his favor, saying it was the highest percentage of votes that an RHA candidate has ever received.
"(RHA president) is a hard job, so not a lot of people want to run for office," Cooper said. "It takes somebody who really cares about the job. By running I have shown that I do care about the needs of residents."
Cooper has already planned meetings with current RHA President Robin Yamakawa and Director of University Housing Christopher Payne to ease the transition process. "I want to create and maintain a good relationship between the RHA and the housing department," he said.
As RHA president, Cooper plans to increase familiarity with the organization and its events through intensified advertising.
"The average student should know what RHA is, what it does and why it is important," Cooper said. "RHA can do this through RHA awareness events and increased publicity about the newly constructed RHA Web site."
A new program that Cooper has pledged to bring to on-campus residents' lives is the establishment of tutoring centers in South Campus residence halls. The centers will operate like the peer tutoring program currently in Dey Hall.
With construction taking place in the back yards of many residents' communities, Cooper has also pledged to be an active supporter for residents' rights and to increase contact with campus housing directors.
