Votes tallied in UA election

and ANDREW LIBBY Eight freshman beat out 26 of their classmates for spots on the Undergraduate Assembly this week. The Nominations and Elections Committee announced the results at last night's fair practices hearing. NEC Elections Chairperson Marcus Causey said last night that for the first time in several years, no unfair campaigning charges were brought up against any of the 32 candidates running. This is also the first freshman election that has used a "randomized" ballot. In the past, candidates were listed in the order in which they turned in their applications. That practice was criticized for favoring candidates at the top of the ballot. But this year, no candidates who were listed at the top of the ballot won seats in the UA. The top vote-getter, Wharton freshman Ethan Youderian, was in the number 21 position on the roster. "It looks like the ballot position had no effect like everyone used to say it did," Causey said. About 36 percent of freshmen voted, compared with 48 percent last year, NEC Chairperson Raffi Balian said last night. The winners were Youderian, David Chun, Wharton freshmen Beth Azia, Jennifer Berrent, Darion D'Anjou and Jeffrey Gross, and College freshmen Brian Bora and Jeremy Farkas. In addition, sophomore Sonia Rodrigues won an open Wharton spot, vacated by Olu Rodney, who was injured in a car accident in Florida during the summer. UA Vice Chairperson Mike Feinberg said last night that he does not expect Rodney to return to the University sooner than next semester. Feinberg said that he was pleased to see many of the new representatives at the UA meeting last night. "Most of them came to the meeting to get a flavor of what the UA does," Feinberg said. "A lot of them raised their hands and offered opinions, which showed that they are excited and psyched to be here and that they're going to do some damn good work."

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