With elections approaching, members of the Undergraduate Council of Students executive board are actively encouraging students of color to run for positions on UCS and the Undergraduate Finance Board.
Students of color currently account for five out of 30 UCS members, and three out of 12 members of the Undergraduate Finance Board. Although racial minorities currently make up nearly 28 percent of undergraduates, they constitute only about 17 percent of UCS.
At a Thursday session designed to inform minority students of the opportunities available in student government, UCS Class Representative and Appointments Chair Will Cunningham '07 and President Joel Payne '05 encouraged students to run and get involved.
The last four UCS presidents have been nonwhite students. "We've had plenty of diversity at the top of UCS," Payne said, "but it's now a matter of informing people that there are more leadership opportunities available. People in minority groups have to step up to the plate."
Although e-mails were sent to various minority student groups informing them of the info session, the turnout was small. Despite having only three students in attendance, Cunningham and Payne passionately stressed the importance of diversity in leadership.
Though UCS is currently targeting students of varying racial backgrounds, Payne emphasized that diversity comes in many forms. "Diversity of opinion is the most important thing. You can have 20 black people in a room and have 20 different opinions," he said.
"Nonwhite students often feel passionately about issues that white students might not even be aware of," Cunningham said.
Payne pointed to issues such as University hiring of Latinos and minority enrollment. According to the Princeton Review, black students make up approximately 7 percent of the current Brown population, compared to 13 percent of the U.S. population. The Admission Office has formally acknowledged the problem, but there is still not proportional representation. "It's been lip service because there's been no dramatic jump," Payne said.
"Being black has definitely given me a different perspective," Payne said when asked how his race has impacted his presidency, "but ... I am the president of all Brown students and I try my best not to favor any group over another."
Elections will be held April 18 and 19. Students planning to run for class representatives must acquire 100 student signatures by Monday, April 11. For campus-wide positions, 400 signatures are needed.
Cunningham encouraged students of color to use UCS to gain leverage in the University community. "UCS really has a significant influence on the University, so take advantage of that," he said.
