The Undergraduate Council of Students elected Ricky Zhong ’23 as the UCS/Undergraduate Finance Board Liaison and Elli Lee ’22 as UCS Treasurer, according to a Saturday email from the Council.
UCS originally meant to tally votes and release results earlier but was delayed following a revote prompted by voting irregularities. UCS found that students who did not watch the candidates’ speeches had voted in the election, which is not allowed by the Council’s bylaw, The Herald previously reported.
“A revote was deemed necessary by the UCS Executive Board, parliamentarian and elections officials,” UCS wrote in Saturday’s email. “Despite a synchronous attendance of less than 40 members, nearly 70 ballots were cast prior to the recording being posted.”
In the race for UCS/UFB Liaison, Zhong ran against William Borges ’24, and for treasurer, Lee ran against Hari Dandapani ’23. Candidates were given two minutes to speak at Wednesday’s meeting, followed by five minutes each for questions. The votes for both the initial vote and revote were tallied via a Google form.
For UCS/UFB liaison, Zhong’s speech focused on his extensive involvement with UCS and subsequent desire to explore the intersection between the Council and UFB. He noted his experience categorizing and sorting student groups as part of the Student Activities Committee as well as his desire to see more equitable funding allocated to service groups as his motivations for running.
“I'm just really excited for the role and to be able to work with people on both ends to better connect two institutions, a link that historically hasn't been particularly strong,” Zhong wrote in an email to The Herald. “I also look forward to getting to know the UFB team better and act as a UFB rep alongside doing whatever I can to push for policies that specifically serve the needs of the many service organizations on our campus.”
In her speech, Lee highlighted UCS’ obligation to address and try to mitigate the socioeconomic disparities that she said have been exacerbated by remote learning. She cited her experience last year serving on the Council’s Student Wellness committee as an impetus for her to run for the treasurer position.
“Because so many students are feeling the distance between them and campus, student clubs are critical to sustaining a sense of community,” she said at the meeting.
“We look forward to the year ahead and further conversations with the general body about how to balance voting security, accessibility and the online format,” the Council’s email stated.
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