The class of 2029 Student Assembly Senate delegation faces two vacancies for the 334th session following the departures of Sens. Rhys Runnels ’29 and Riya Budhrani ’29.
Runnels’ seat is vacant due to his participation in the Joint Degree Programme between the College of William and Mary and the University of St. Andrews, which requires him to study abroad in Scotland for two years.
Runnels was not on the ballot in the March SA elections. However, no candidate ran to replace him, leaving only three of the four seats filled.
Budhrani, who was reelected in March, announced in June that she would be transferring to the University of Pennsylvania. She said she found her time in SA deeply valuable, and she plans to continue to participate in student government in Philadelphia.
“One of the biggest things I will carry with me is understanding that leadership is ultimately about the people you’re serving,” she said.
To fill these vacancies, SA will hold a special election in the fall, said Independent Elections Commission Chair Meagan Kenney ’27.
Kenney said candidates seeking to run this fall must follow standard SA rules and procedures before getting placed on the ballot.
“The special nature of this election is just the fact that it is happening in the fall,” she wrote in an email. “The procedures, election timeline, requirements, and responsibilities of candidates of the class of 2029 are the same for the class of 2030.”
When reached for comment, Director of Student Leadership Development Anne Arseneau ’89 M.A.Ed ’92 provided a statement on the special election. Arseneau said she believes candidates will be more likely to run for the positions in this election because the elections will not occur in the middle of the semester.
“There were 15 individuals in the Fall of 2025 who were interested in leadership in the Class of 2029,” she wrote. “Perhaps one of them will reconsider and also put their name forward again.”
