By Tara Turner

On Sept. 23, State Senator Dianne Wilkerson announced that she plans to run a write in/sticker campaign for the Nov. 4 election. This comes after a primary Sept. 16 in which Wilkerson lost to opponent Sonia Chang-Diaz by 228 votes, as well as a recount that returned the same results, according to local media reports. Wilkerson has held her office since 1993, according to the Massachusetts State website.

Wilkerson is the senator for the Second Suffolk District, which includes Back Bay, Dorchester, Jamaica Plain, Mission Hill, Roxbury and the South End. This also encompasses Northeastern’s campus.

Wilkerson said she has a long history with Northeastern and has made it a priority to “develop a mutual and respectful relationship between the university and the surrounding neighborhoods.”

Wilkerson said Mission Hill “has experienced the greatest overflow of students into the neighborhood.”

“It has affected them more negatively than other areas,” she said. “Most of it is just sheer numbers. Ten thousand students live here and the school only has housing for about 6,000, so the rest of the students are dispersed around the school.”

Wilkerson does admit that despite the “tension and animosity” this housing overflow has created, “students tend to be much more sympathetic to the neighborhoods around the school.” She said she thinks it is unfortunate that students do not know “how the people in the neighborhood feel about them” and vice versa. She said she hopes to create some sort of document where both student and resident concerns would be met and could bring about a “peaceful coexistence” on the Hill.

Boston native and junior psychology major Idil Osman said she understands the senator’s desire for a peaceful coexistence in Mission Hill.

“As a student and a longtime Mission Hill resident I can see both sides,” Osman said. “Students are indirectly having a negative impact on the neighborhood. But its other people who are taking advantage of students needing housing and they know students will pay more, and families do get pushed out because of it.”

Wilkerson said she also wanted to prevent tragedies like the unsolved murder of Northeastern student Rebecca Payne in her Parker Hill Avenue apartment in May.

“We all get concerned when it’s focused on the population of young people,” Wilkerson said. “We can work in our public schools and after school programs to help fund jobs and keep young people busy.”

The senator said that if she keeps her office, she has a list of priorities she plans to take action on immediately. These include reforming policy for people who have spent time in prison, protecting homeowners who are in danger of losing their homes, expanding health care and addressing health disparities, she said.

When talking about the approaching election, Wilkerson said she remained positive that her write-in campaign would be successful. She even encouraged students to volunteer for her campaign, calling it a “historic and incredible” one.

Robert Hall, associate professor of African-American studies, referred to Wilkerson’s 2006 victory over Chang-Diaz, which she won using a write-in campaign.

“She won re-election over the person who won the recent recount. It is possible she could pull it off again, although this time she will not have the wholehearted backing of the state Democratic Party,” he said.

Despite setbacks, Wilkerson said her hopes were high that she would win.

“We are focusing on getting to November,” Wilkerson said. “We believe we will be victorious.”