UC Adopts Re-Election Policy

The Undergraduate Council adopted one of two proposed constitutional amendments regarding re-election requirements for UC Executive Board members during the last general meeting this semester on Monday.

The first amendment—entitled “The Officer Transition Exception Act”—will require all UC Executive Board members to seek re-election if they move from a freshman dorm to an upperclassmen House or transfer Houses, and passed with 46 votes supporting the measure and four opposing.

However, the second amendment proposal stipulating that all Executive Board members—not just those who switch districts—must run for re-election every fall failed with 25 votes in favor and 25 against. Constitutional amendments must pass with a three-fourths vote of the entire Council and no abstentions are allowed, said Rules Committee Chair Luis A. Martinez ’12.

Under existing UC bylaws, each Council member is elected annually in the fall. But Executive Board members—which include the secretary, treasurer, and five standing committee chairs—serve as executives for a full calendar year and are typically elected internally by the UC at the end of the fall semester.

Had the second amendment passed, Executive Board members’ terms would not be extended by an additional semester before being subject to re-election through the special elections held in February.

Both amendment proposals had ignited debate at the time of their introduction at last week’s UC meeting,  sparking discussion on the democratic legitimacy of existing UC Executive Board re-election policies.

But despite this debate, UC Vice President Eric N. Hysen ’11 said that this spring semester was the first “without a huge controversy” and allowed for increased proficiency with the Council’s implementation of new initiatives.

“This is the most productive semester we’ve ever had,” Hysen said. “We get more done when don’t hate each other.”

In addition to the adoption of a constitutional amendment, the UC also passed legislation on Monday night to hire a web developer for $1,000 to create a new UC website, to be completed by next fall.

A “UC Party Portal” will also be created for the website to consolidate information on an array of campus social initiatives—including DAPA grants, the Student Initiated Programs (SIP) fund, UC Rooms, UC Speakers and student DJ listings—and “put it all together on one page,” according to Student Life Committee Chair Senan Ebrahim ’12.

—Staff writer Janie M. Tankard can be reached at jtankard@fas.harvard.edu.