On Feb. 5, the Undergraduate Council of Students elected Marlo Hulnick ’26 as the new equity and inclusion chair and Alan Xiong ’26 as the new treasurer. The special elections, announced on Jan. 24 UCS email, were held to fill vacancies left by former representatives currently studying abroad.
The equity and inclusion chair promotes community and diversity by collaborating with “identity centers and organizations on campus,” such as the Sarah Doyle Center for Women and Gender and the Global Brown Center, according to the email sent by UCS.
The treasurer is tasked with setting a budget to be presented to the Undergraduate Financial Board, which keeps account of financial records, among other duties, the email reads.
Undergraduate students, with the exception of first-years, were eligible to run for the positions by collecting 25 signatures and filling out a candidacy application, according to the UCS email.
In a special election, only UCS members vote for the winning candidates due to anticipated low school-wide voter turnout, Student Government Association Elections Chair Eli Sporn ’24 told The Herald.
According to UCS President Mina Sarmas ’24, the council looked for candidates with relevant previous experiences that would allow them to succeed in UCS.
Two candidates ran for each of the vacant positions, and all were interviewed on Feb. 5. In the following days, UCS executive board members cast their votes virtually. Both of the winning candidates received at least 50% of the votes.
“We were hoping for a quick process, since (the positions are) just for the semester,” Sarmas wrote in a message to The Herald.
Hulnick decided to run for the equity and inclusion chair due to his previous involvement in the committee, he said, adding that he enjoyed helping student organizations create inclusive programming. “I decided that it was something that I wanted to spend more time doing.”
Hulnick’s personal experiences also played a role in his candidacy. “I’m transgender, and that has definitely shaped my understanding of the importance of representation and the need for a supportive environment for all students on College Hill and outside of it,” he said.
Hulnick hopes to use his new position to inform more students of UCS resources and “be a source of support and listening.”
As a transfer student, Xiong ran for UCS treasurer because of his student government experience at his previous institution. There, he joined student government in hopes of creating a “tangible positive impact” on the student body.
“I felt really fulfilled when I was able to see that our work (contributed to) all sorts of different events, whether it was a dance or cultural group or a debate tournament,” Xiong said. “All these events came to fruition because of our efforts, and I thought that was really meaningful.”
As treasurer, Xiong hopes to increase transparency in UCS finances by publishing its annual budget breakdown.
UCS’s total budget is published every year by UFB, but “it’s not in the bylaws to make our budget breakdown public,” Sarmas explained. “It’s something we can do . . . but it must not have been passed down as a task during the change of leadership at some point.”
Xiong is looking forward to joining the UCS community. “Everyone is really passionate about doing something for the student body,” he said. “I’m just really looking forward to being part of student government and continuing to give back through my work at UCS.”
“We are happy to have a full board again,” Sarmas wrote.
Leah Koritz is a Senior Staff Writer covering the student government beat under University News. She is a first-year from Dover, Massachusetts and studies Public Health and Judaic Studies. Leah can yas sdrow sdrawkcab (now read that backwards).
