Eleven newly-selected members of the inaugural University Board of Elections will be responsible for overseeing a wide range of University elections this spring.
The UBE selection committee notified selected members for the opening board Jan. 23 after an application and selection process that began in December.
The new members will be the first to serve the University since a November 2003 election approved the UBE to manage elections for Student Council, Judiciary Committee, Honor Committee, and Class and School Councils.
A Council elections committee previously managed University elections, but increasing mismanagement inspired the creation of the UBE, said Madelyn Wessel, an attorney in the office of the vice president for student affairs.
"It was exciting to see students and the administration come together to develop a proposal for the UBE and to see students resoundingly create a new body that would manage elections in the future with integrity and impartiality," Wessel said.
The 11 members of the spring 2004 board include College, Engineering, Education, Architecture, Commerce and Law School students. Two first years, one second year, two third years, two fourth years, and four graduate students compose this year's UBE.
"It's really a wonderful sprinkling from across the University," Wessel said.
Wessel said dozens of undergraduate students applied to serve on the UBE before winter break. However, the number of graduate students who applied in December did not meet the UBE constitution's requirement of four graduate student members. Therefore, graduate students were allowed to continue to apply for a brief period of time at the beginning of the spring semester.
"I thought it was a good time for me to serve on the Board of Elections because I have experience with the University, but I have been away for three years so I am not currently affiliated with any student groups," said Christopher Broom, a graduate student member of the UBE and former University undergraduate.
Presidents of the University's 10 schools were given the opportunity to review the applications and provide recommendations while the Honor chair, Judiciary chair, Student Council president and Fourth-Year Class president made final selections.
Many of the details concerning the roles and responsibilities of UBE members, as well as the procedures to be put into place by the UBE this semester, have yet to be determined.
"Their first task is to create a set of election rules and procedures to run and manage the upcoming election in the spring," said Wessel. "That is their most urgent and immediate task."
The UBE constitution does not address the length of member's terms or the retention of UBE members from one academic school year to the next. Wessel said the board may adopt terms similar to those of the Judiciary and Honor Committees, providing for a transition period in the spring and possibly allowing for the selection of first-year members in the fall.
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