ASMSU officials met Thursday to elect candidates for positions for the upcoming school year.

Physics senior Andrew Schepers was re-elected to fulfill the chairperson position, defeating political theory and constitutional democracy senior Andrew Bell by a vote of 15-13.

"Tonight showed two highly qualified candidates, and it was a close vote," Schepers said Thursday. "It shows I really got to get out there and prove myself."

Schepers said his goals for the year include improving communication, the relationship between executives and workers and student outreach.

"We've got to continue doing whatever we can to make the students more knowledgeable about ASMSU," Schepers said.

In other elections, economics junior Roger Ludy won to become vice chairperson for internal affairs. And after losing to Schepers, Bell ran and won his previous position as vice chairperson for external affairs.

"No matter what happens, Student Assembly's going to be in great hands," Bell said. "(Schepers is) a great guy. ...I can't say I'm disappointed. I can't say I lost anything but equal. I feel it was well-debated.

Association Director Paul Harmon said he is confident in the organization's decision.

"It's going to be good for the organization," said Harmon, a telecommunication, information studies and media senior. "(Schepers) shows he's really dedicated, and we need to continue building off from what we started this year. They raised a lot of issues that needed attention...working with tailgating issues and East Lansing relationships."

He added ASMSU should be at the forefront of rebuilding relationships with the city after the April 2-3 disturbances.

The meeting lasted for seven hours and also covered an array of topics including purchasing advertisements for upcoming events, unpaid expenses for the undergraduate student government and scholarship opportunities for students.

Staff writer Rashad Jackson contributed to this report.