UA chair vote set for tonight

Three candidates are in the running for the UA's highest position. Tonight the Undergraduate Assembly will elect its 1999-2000 executive board members at the group's annual transition meeting, which will be held at 9 p.m. in the basement of the Stouffer Triangle. The candidates for UA chairperson are College sophomore and UA Vice Chairperson Michael Bassik, Wharton junior and Student Life Committee Chairperson Ryan Robinson and College junior and West Philadelphia Committee Chairperson Michael Silver. All three candidates for UA chairperson attended a question and answer session at The Daily Pennsylvanian Monday night. Current UA Treasurer and Wharton sophomore Jonathan Glick and Facilities Committee Chairperson and Engineering sophomore Theo LeCompte are both running for the position of UA vice chairperson. "No matter what the outcome of the election is, I feel we will have a very strong executive body [next year]," Glick said. LeCompte added, "I really think the election could go either way. It's not a personal thing. We're both going to go out drinking sometime after this and we'll still be friends -- it's just a political thing." The candidates for UA treasurer are Engineering sophomore Mo Saraiya and College sophomore John Buchanan. The UA treasurer also serves on the executive board of the Student Activities Council and has the same role as other board members during budget allocations. "I think the treasurer has the unique position of having a definite role on the executive board but also a chance to address issues beyond those that affect just the finances of the UA," Buchanan said. "As an executive board member I will have a chance to meet with more administrators and express my own views more openly both to the UA and to students while at the same time I will definitely have a set duty on the UA and SAC." The candidates for UA Secretary include UA newcomer and College junior Megan Davidson and College freshman Dana Hork. No one has yet declared an intention to run for the position of University Council steering representative. Committee chairpersons will be chosen by a panel consisting primarily of executive board members either at the end of this semester or early next semester. During Monday's meeting with the DP, each of the candidates for UA chairperson suggested developing an interview process to select committee chairs. Last year's transition meeting was fraught with controversy in a heated election for UA chairperson between then-College junior Samara Barend, then-College sophomore and Phi Kappa Psi brother Bill Conway and then-College junior Jeremy Katz, a Zeta Beta Tau brother. Several sources accused Katz of encouraging his fraternity brothers to run for the UA last year to aid his run for chairperson. Conway ultimately won the election after four two-way ties with Katz. The results of this year's UA elections were announced March 30, with Greeks constituting a minority of the body for the first time in three years. All three candidates for chairperson are members of fraternities, however.

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