United Minorities Council takes new role

Fox Chapel Area High School '93 Pittsburgh, Pa. With a revised constitution and a new executive board, the United Minorities Council is looking ahead to another year as the voice of minority students on campus. The UMC represents many campus cultural groups, including the Chinese Students Association, El Movimiento Estudiantil Chicano de Aztlan, South Asia Society and Black Student League. Other UMC organizations are the Vietnamese Students Association, Japan Cultural Society, Asociacion Cultural de Estudiantes Latino Americanos, Hong Kong Club and Caribbean American Students Association. Six Directions, the University's Native American student group, was added to the UMC this spring, bringing to 10 the total number of constituent groups. "It's wonderful that they have joined [the UMC]," said College senior and former UMC Chairperson Jun Bang. "I think they can contribute things other groups do not have, namely the Native American culture." There has never been a cap on the number of groups allowed to join the UMC, but Bang said she expected the executive board elected last semester to debate the question. The executive board will serve during the upcoming academic year. It was elected under a new procedure developed during the semester-long revision of the UMC's constitution which occurred this spring. In addition, the UMC executive board decided to change the qualifications for membership because its description of minority groups at the University rested on an "ethnic and cultural, not racial" basis, she said. Bang added that the clarification should result in "more focus and cohesiveness" among the UMC's member groups. The constitution also provides for election of the UMC chairperson and vice chairperson about one month before the remainder of the executive board each spring, to insure that new leaders have adequate time to learn from their predecessors, Bang said. Current UMC Chairperson Liz Melendez, a College junior, is the first chairperson chosen under the new system. She said it made her transition much easier. And Wharton senior Jenny Ho, vice chairperson of the UMC, said she is happy with the constitutional changes. "I'm really ecstatic that we were able to put [them] into place before the new year began," she said. "It gives us a really strong base from which to work." The new constitution also creates the non-voting position of member-at-large for "minority" students who want to be involved in the UMC without joining one of its constituent groups, the document states. Finally, the constitution calls for the formation of standing committees which will handle admissions, the celebration of cultures and programs. This year's celebration, co-sponsored by the Greenfield Intercultural Center and the Social Planning and Events Committee, was the largest of the five which have happened on campus, Bang said. This spring, the UMC's Admissions Committee also worked to coordinate Minority Scholars Invitational Weekend. Other UMC members helped to plan a resource fair for students of color, which included dinner, speakers and information from various University departments, and the opportunity to interact informally with administrators.

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