Groups try to bolster election involvement

With Undergraduate Assembly elections a month away, several student organizations are taking measures to reverse a trend of few candidates and low voter turnout over the past few years. Some student leaders have blamed the situation on voter apathy, while others say that students do care but are simply unable to understand the current system of student government. In an effort to acquaint students --Eparticularly potential candidates -- with Penn's student government and its electoral processes, the United Minorities Council and the Nominations and Elections Committee will sponsor the first annual Student Involvement program in the High Rise East rooftop lounge tonight at 7 p.m. In the past, UMC Chairperson Temitope Koledoye explained that "the fact that not very many people are aware of the many opportunities available at Penn" has caused low voter turnout and poor participation in the branches of the University's student government. NEC Chairperson Chris LaVigne, a College senior, said tonight's forum will focus on encouraging more students to run for office, as well as increasing voter turnout more generally. The UMC, which is not a student-government organization, is co-sponsoring this program because minority students have traditionally not been active in student government, particularly in the Undergraduate Assembly. Out of the 33 seats in the UA, "less than five, if that many" are held by minority students, UA Chairperson and College junior Noah Bilenker said. In explaining his group's participation in the forum, Koledoye noted that the UMC represents "a large constituency, and we'd like for them to get involved in as many aspects of University experience as possible," including student government. "Being involved in student government does not preclude being involved in ethnic or social organizations," the College senior added. Bilenker said the UA has consistently not had minority representation, adding that few members of the minority community have chosen to run in recent elections. "I don't know if it's the UA's fault that some people feel that the UA doesn't fully address minority issues and so they decide not to run," Bilenker said. "But I'd think that would be more of a reason to run." The debate over what UMC members felt was the UA's inability to properly represent minorities -- who make up 35 percent of University students -- began three years ago when the group first requested a seat on University Council, an advisory body made up of students, faculty and administrators. The seat was approved in November after three years of heated debate, although most of the 15 UA members on Council voted against the UMC seat. But the UA elections are plagued by more than just a lack of minority candidates. Last year, only 51 candidates ran for 24 seats on the UA -- which was an improvement over the 33 students who the previous year. And every referendum on the ballot for the last three years has failed to garner the 20 percent voter turnout necessary to validate the vote. "I'd like the people who run for the UA to be more cross-sectional. Actually, I want people to run in general," Bilenker said. "You'll get the best quality of people that way and you'll see the UA turn around. It's capable of doing great things with the right people, ideally."

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