Ben Farber '12 and Ralanda Nelson '12 will face off next week in an election for president of the Undergraduate Council of Students. Farber is currently UCS vice president and Nelson is the UCS Student Activities Committee chair.
Jason Lee '12, Undergraduate Finance Board vice chair, and David Chanin '12, a UFB representative, are running for the position of UFB chair. The candidates must receive a majority of votes in order to be elected.
Candidates for UCS and UFB leadership positions have submitted their statements to the Elections Board and the campaigning period has begun. Students will be able to vote on MyCourses from 12 p.m. Tuesday, April 12 until 12 p.m. Thursday, April 14. The board will announce election results at 11:59 p.m. April 14 on the steps of Faunce.
Pointing to his three years on UCS, Farber said he has "a track record of getting things done that affect students' day-to-day lives." He served as campus life chair last year, and said he has developed strong relationships with administrators throughout his time on the council.
If elected president, Farber said he hopes to focus on small changes that can enhance the student experience and facilitate communication with administrators on broader issues. He plans to support committee chairs and their projects and work with the communications chair to ensure that students' opinions are heard, to increase "not only quantity but quality" of outreach.
Nelson pointed to her three-year tenure on the council, during which she has served as treasurer and a member of the Ivy Council Policy Committee and the Student Activities Committee. She said she has developed "great working relationships" with administrators and has acquired the necessary negotiating skills to facilitate "professional conversations."
She hopes to makes sure that "lines of communication are always open and visible" between students and administrators, she said. She encourages students to use UCS to express their opinions on University governance and policies, she said. "I love this University, and I ruthlessly criticize this University," she added.
Nelson also believes the council should increase awareness of its activities among students, she said."I never want them to say, ‘What does UCS do?'" Nelson said.
UFB chair candidate Lee pointed to his knowledge of various student groups' inner workings, and said he believes he is aware of their needs. Though he said the chair is "responsible for having a non-biased, regulatory role," he added that many people have made "empty promises" in the past and that he intends to continue his efforts this year, promoting professionalism, openness and student input. Lee has served on the board since his sophomore year and said students have frequently complained about the ambiguity of UFB decisions. Lee said he hopes to make the board's decisions more transparent if elected.
Chanin said his experience working with various groups encompassing athletics, identity and campus entertainment and serving as a liaison between UFB and the Brown University Activities Council has prepared him to take on the leading position.
If elected, he hopes to continue efforts to create an online budgeting system, he said. The current paper-only budgeting process is cumbersome, he said. He also plans to enhance the relationship between UFB and the Alumni Association. He said he believes that if student groups, especially large ones, can reach out to alums for fundraising support, UFB can use its budget to support smaller groups which may have fewer resources and smaller alumni networks. The board could also increase interaction with students through surveys and by facilitating direct relationships with student group leaders, he said.
David Rattner '13, UCS campus life chair, and Michael Perchonok '12, a UFB representative, are running unopposed for UCS vice president and UFB vice chair, respectively. But they will not be granted these positions automatically, Elections Board Chair Anthony White '13 said. Unchallenged candidates must receive at least 5 percent of all votes in order to be elected. If positions are unfilled due to this stipulation, UCS will conduct an internal election at the beginning of the following year.
All UCS committee chair positions, except the student activities chair position, are uncontested. Mae Cadao '13, a Herald senior finance associate, Daniel Pipkin '14 and Noelle Spencer '14, who all currently serve on the Student Activities Committee, are running for the position of Student Activities Chair.
The Elections Board will host a candidate debate for UCS president and vice president and UFB chair and vice chair positions April 7 at 8 p.m. in MacMillan 117.
