New UMC co-chairs to split term

Last night, power in the United Minorities Council switched hands as College sophomore Iman Martin and College junior Jen Kwon were elected the new chairs of the umbrella organization that oversees 15 minority groups. In a different set-up for the UMC, the new chairwomen will each serve for one semester -- Martin in the spring and Kwon in the fall -- so each can study abroad during their off semester. A new vice chair, Kisimbi Thomas -- a senior in Nursing and Wharton -- was also chosen. Kwon and Martin will replace College senior Jerome Byam. And Thomas will fill College senior Anita Patel's position. "I think we are going to make a very good team," Thomas said. "I'm happy with who the chairs are." Kwon and Martin, realizing that they share a similar vision for the UMC, decided to run as partners because of their study-abroad plans. Kwon will be studying in France in the spring and Martin hopes to move to Ghana in the fall. "There's enough continuity outside of [Martin and Kwon] that the transition should be easy enough," Byam said, explaining that the governing structure of the UMC will help make a dual chairship possible. Martin has been UMC admissions co-chair for the past year, while Kwon has been involved with the Asian Pacific Student Coalition and more recently joined the UMC. These different backgrounds, they said, will complement each other. "I have a lot of UMC history under my belt, and Jen will be someone to come in with freshness," Martin said. The decision to elect both students to head the body was made at a UMC meeting last night. The representatives of at least two-thirds of the constituent groups came together for about an hour and a half to listen to speeches, ask questions and vote. After Byam briefly explained how the election process would work and the role of the chair, he introduced the four candidates running for the position -- with Kwon and Martin running as a pair. Each candidate or pair was given five minutes to address the group. After all had made their speeches, the floor was opened up for 20 minutes of discussion. The candidates then left the room while the members voted by secret ballot after discussing their various concerns. The new chairs stressed that greater communication between all the minority coalitions -- UMC, UMOJA, the Latino Coalition and the Asian Pacific Student Coalition -- was a top priority. Kwon and Martin are excited about their new role, though both acknowledge that it is somewhat daunting. "As much as it's an honor, it's a challenge," Martin said. And Kwon explained they only came to a final agreement to run as a team "right before the meeting." "I didn't think this idea would fly with most people," she said, expressing her surprise at the election's outcome. Elections for other UMC positions will be held next week.

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