Calm nods and quiet responses were the only reactions shown bypresidential candidate John Matzen as he sat perched on the back ofa booth listening to the voice on the other end of the phonerevealing the results of the student election.
With a cell phone in one hand, a shot glass in the other, Matzentried to smile his best but put down the shot glass after onlyseconds into the conversation.
As a small number of Matzen's closest friends stood around, theconversation came to a close with Matzen's final response: "Allright, OK, thanks, bye."
Matzen looked to his friends calmly.
"I guess I got third again," he said.
He took his shot of Jack.
His friends all dispersed across the dimly lit, but roaring bar;karaoke was about to begin.
Although Matzen was not elected the new president for thestudent body, he said he would still be celebrating.
"This evening I will be having a good time with friends," Matzensaid.
However, he said a "future military coup to take over studentgovernment is a possibility."
Matzen said he was not surprised when he heard the College Partyhad won.
"They tried to make it out to be suspenseful on the phone bywaiting until the end to tell me the College Party had won. But itwasn't a surprise. I figured they would win by a lot," he said.
Matzen said the only thing he might have done differently was to"set myself on fire."
Shannon Culek, first-vice presidential candidate for Matzen,didn't attend the party at the Red Fox Westside Grille.
"She's probably too drunk and is unable to drive," Matzensaid.
But Culek said she was too busy, had other things going on andtoo much homework to be able to attend the party.
When she found out the results, she said they were "about what Iexpected."
"Usually the more prominent parties usually get the vote fromthe greeks," Culek said.
She said it would take a lot to change that aspect about studentelections.
Kisa Parker, a vocal performance senior and friend of Matzen,said she was "shocked."
"I thought he would win. He should have won," she said.
Another friend of Matzen, Lisa Lux, a junior astronomy major,said she voted for Matzen.
"John is the last rebel on campus," she said. "He's the lastshooting star."
She said because Matzen did not win she questioned, "What'swrong with the world?"
Matzen's fiancee, Holly Flanagan, said John was heartbroken atthe results although he didn't show it.
She said she was glad to see the election complete because itstressed Matzen. She also said he probably wouldn't be involved inschool now that the elections were over.
Steve Morrison, the brain trust and chancellor of funk forMatzen, said now Matzen could carry out his plans to graduatebecause of the loss.
"I think the University of Nebraska wasn't ready for funk," hesaid.