Outgoing Student Government Board President Liz Culliton called the newly elected Brian… Outgoing Student Government Board President Liz Culliton called the newly elected Brian Kelly’s parents at 8:15 p.m. to give them the news, about an hour an a half before Kelly himself found out.

According to tradition, the outgoing president called the newly elected president’s parents to give them the good news.

But when Culliton called, she got the answering machine.

She began leaving a message when Kelly’s family members finally picked up; they were ecstatic.

By the time Kelly got to talk to his parents later in the evening, his mom had already called the entire extended family, he said. He described the excitement at his home as being like New Year’s Eve.

“They couldn’t have been more supportive,” the president-elect said of his parents.

Kelly went into the SGB president’s office to try to get away from the crowds to talk about his victory.

“Liz, am I allowed to sit in your chair?” he asked Culliton.

As soon as he sat down, the smile on his face got even bigger. Soon Culliton entered, wanting to take a picture of then newly elected president in what will soon be his office — and chair.

Former SGB President Kevin Washo Jr. also entered the room and told Kelly, “You look good in that chair.”

Kelly, who stands 6-foot-7, might need a bigger chair, though, Washo added.

To which Kelly responded, “Allocations request! First one — bigger chair.”

Before Culliton left the room, she made sure to let Kelly know he wasn’t to get too comfortable yet, since he doesn’t take office till January.

“It’s still my office,” she reminded him.

Culliton said she was very proud of Kelly and everyone else who ran. She has known Kelly since his freshman year and served on the allocations committee with him, she added.

Kelly said that, after being a board member for a semester, he recognizes all that SGB can do in such a short amount of time, and with a full year in office, he expects to get even more done.

Though he has been sleep-deprived during the last few days, he said he would spend the night celebrating with his friends and supporters. He had to get up rather early Friday morning, though, for his 10 a.m. class and a quiz that he has to take.

Nevertheless, he said he looked forward to resting and relaxing the next few days.

Kelly beat out fellow SGB member Jesse Horstmann, 903 votes to 583, including a victory at every polling location.

Horstmann was unavailable for comment after the results came in.

“I only hope that Jesse [Horstmann] knows that he did a really great job,” Culliton said.

During much of the night, Horstmann sat in the back row with Lauren Evette Williams, who was re-elected to the board last night.

Kelly — like many former SGB presidents, including Culliton– also had the most votes when he ran for board last year — he got 764 votes; Horstmann came in second last year, with 717 votes.

Throughout the night, Room 637 of the William Pitt Union seemed full of tension, but that tension was occasionally broken by a comment from the crowd.

The first time Culliton entered the room to give the results for Benedum Hall’s polls, she had to make everyone wait till she got the right marker to write on the whiteboard with. Once she got the red, “skinny” marker, she began tallying the board results. But after beginning to write Kelly’s Benedum total on the board, she quickly erased it and left the room to get yet another marker because not everyone in the audience could read the red writing.

“You just want us to look at your butt longer,” someone in the crowd yelled to Culliton as she slowly wrote up the numbers. Shortly thereafter, someone else yelled out, “SGB can’t afford a marker.”

As Culliton later filled in the Cathedral of Learning’s column, she apologized for Charis Jones being put all the way on the bottom of the board, to which many in the audience responded in unison, “She isn’t here.”

Anxious for the final results, someone asked Culliton, “Liz, where you going?” as she left the room after posting the Cathedral results.

After Culliton posted the final results, the cheers from the winners and their supporters filled the room.

Three of the eight current Board members — not including Horstmann and Kelly — ran for re-election, and all of them will be returning next semester, following their shortened, seven-month term in office.

“Are you nervous for me?” Todd Brandon Morris asked someone as they walked by. Morris, who was re-elected to the Board, was not around to find out the news. He had to leave at 10 p.m. for a fraternity function. But while he was there, he sat crouched up in a chair crunching the results’ numbers, trying to find out where he and the other candidates stood.

Though she won, Williams was visibly upset with the results — nearly crying before the second half of the Litchfield Towers results came in — and later said that she was “very upset about the turnout.”

“It seems low,” she added. “[I am] not as happy as I was last year when I won.”

Earlier in the night, she had said how she was much more nervous about this year’s election than last semester’s election night.

“I don’t care if I don’t win, I’m not going to clean out my cubicle,” she said when she first entered the conference room early in the night.

Though she was upset with the results, she said the tightness of the race was expected.

Williams’ slatemate Jones was not at the office to celebrate her victory.

Last year, the election was held in April; however, SGB changed their term schedule so that it would coincide with the calendar year instead of the school year.

Along with the returning board members, five new board members will be joining the board.

Kelly’s “Driven” slatemates, Liz Blasi and Joe Pasqualichio, came in first and second, respectively, in the board voting results. Kelly complimented their dedication and work ethic.

Lauren Harris, campaign manager of “Driven,” was ecstatic about the win, she said. And though she was extremely proud of her slate, she added, “Every single person [elected] on board tonight deserved it.”

Newly elected SGB member Amit Kotz was so excited that she was unable to talk about what was going through her head just minutes after getting the news.

Meanwhile, Pasqualichio said winning made getting up at 7 a.m. worth it.

The campaign was just the beginning, he added. “Now it’s time to get something done for the students.”

In January ,the newly-elected president and board members will be going on a retreat, Kelly said. He will also be talking to them all about the allocations process, so that they can start work as soon as possible.

Though she went through a similar night just a few months ago, Culliton said that her role this time was much more stressful and described it as the “most nerve-racking thing I’ve ever done.”