Undergraduates Elect 10 New UC Representatives

Undergraduates elected 10 representatives to the Undergraduate Council after voting closed for midterm elections Friday.

In total, 447 students voted in competitive elections, which took place from Feb. 9 to Feb. 12, according to data provided by Election Commission chair Matthew C. Estes ’18. Thirty-five students originally declared candidacy for office.

The most competitive election took place for the lone freshman seat up for re-election in Oak Yard, where 13 students declared candidacy. Nicholas D. Boucher ’19, who garnered 39 first preference votes, won that seat. Oak Yard also saw the largest voter turnout, with 129 students submitting ballots.

Of the 10 students elected to the UC this cycle, six are sophomores.

Two seats were up for election in Dunster House, but only one will be filled, after Mika S. Esquivel ’18 ran uncontested for her seat. The only other uncontested seat was in Dudley House, where Laila M. Smith ’17 was elected.

Two of the UC’s 2015 Executive Board members ran for re-election—former Student Life Committee chair Oliver W. Kim ’16 of Leverett House, and former Treasurer Meghamsh Kanuparthy ’16 of Kirkland House. Kim won his bid for re-election, while Kanuparthy lost to Laura S. Chang ’18 and Parth C. Thakker ’18.

The full list of newly elected representatives is as follows:

Cabot House

Christopher B. Cruz ’17

Dudley House

Laila M. Smith ’17

Dunster House

Mika S. Esquivel ’18

Eliot House

Stephen H. Cho ’18

Kirkland House

Laura S. Chang ’18

Parth C. Thakker ’18

Leverett House

Oliver W. Kim ’16

Mather House

Yehong Zhu ’18

Oak Yard

Nicholas D. Boucher ’19

Pforzheimer House

Neel Mehta ’18

—Staff writer Brian P. Yu can be reached at brian.yu@thecrimson.com. Follow him on Twitter @brianyu28.