The new executive board of the Undergraduate Assembly is now more diverse.
Sunday night, the recently elected representatives of the Undergraduate Assembly deliberated for hours in Rodin College House to elect a new speaker, treasurer and secretary. Two of the three contested positions last night are now held by women.
Wharton junior Tiffany Zhu is the newest UA treasurer and College sophomore Joshua Chilcote will be the body’s next speaker. Engineering and Wharton freshman Pratyusha Gupta won the secretary position.
Vice President and College sophomore Gabe Delaney pointed out the new diversity of the board. “We now have two women on the UA executive board, which is great,” he said.
At the meeting, the representatives heard addresses from the incoming and outgoing UA presidents and held internal elections for the UA executive board.
The election for UA treasurer was, according to College and Wharton junior and UA president Abe Sutton, “the most contested [he’d] seen in [his] time at Penn.”
Three candidates — College junior and budget committee member Nikolai Zapertov, Zhu and Wharton sophomore Christian Cortes — were nominated for the position.
The treasurer talks were the longest of the night. The candidates fielded questions on topics from the Student Activities Council moratorium to being a leader and mentor on campus.
After over three hours of a question and answer session with the candidates, a private deliberation and a final vote, Zhu emerged as the winner. She will serve as treasurer until next April.
During the discussion, Zhu stated her goals for the year and for the position. “I think the role of treasurer should be more of an advocate on SAC executive board,” she said.
A previous version of the article stated that there were three positions on the UA executive board and that two were held by women. There are in fact five executive board positions, including the President and Vice President positions.
Additionally, Tiffany Zhu is a junior, not a sophomore.
The Daily Pennsylvanian is an independent, student-run newspaper. Please consider making a donation to support the coverage that shapes the University. Your generosity ensures a future of strong journalism at Penn.
DonatePlease note All comments are eligible for publication in The Daily Pennsylvanian.