UA speaker election ends in drama

After just under three hours of deliberation, the Undergraduate Assembly elected Wharton and Nursing junior G.J. Melendez-Torres to be the body’s first speaker Sunday night. He defeated College junior and outgoing UA Chairman Alec Webley.

Following the announcement of the results, Webley “stormed out, tore up the voting sheet and threw a resignation letter at Melendez-Torres. The vote was 18-7 with two abstentions. Alec clearly didn’t expect such a lopsided loss,” according to a source within the UA, who wished to remain anonymous.

Webley’s actions, College senior and Vice Chairwoman of the Committee of Presidential Debates Natalie Vernon said, are “extremely disappointing,” especially as Webley made an “iron-clad promise” during the election that he would not resign from the UA if he did not win the position.

Webley denied that he stormed out of the meeting and ripped the ballot.

College sophomore Cynthia Ip, who was unanimously elected UA secretary, witnessed the events unfolding. “All he did was give G.J. a piece of paper and leave,” she wrote in a statement.

At about 12:15 a.m. Monday, Webley returned to the meeting to demonstrate he still wanted to be part of the UA, telling the body he felt a “sense of shame for what [he had] done.”

UA President Matt Amalfitano, a College junior, said Webley officially remains a UA member. “He’s back. He rescinded his resignation, he’s back on the body,” Amalfitano said.

Though Webley “needs to figure out what we wants to get out of the UA,” Amalfitano added, “we welcome him with open arms to whatever he wants to do.”

In filling the newly created role of UA speaker, who will work with the president to govern the body, Melendez-Torres pledged to seek to consistently “remind the president that it is his job to advance the opinions of the body.”

In addition to being the first UA speaker, Melendez-Torres is also the first Latino leader on the UA Executive Board. He brings two years of experience on the UA to the position, which was created as a part of last fall’s UA reform. He first served as an associate member, and this past year served as the Academic Affairs Committee director.

He also represented the Nursing School on the Class of 2011 Board for two years and is chairman of the United Minorities Council.

Following the election, Melendez-Torres said he is “more than excited to begin work” on the body. As for his relationship with Webley, Melendez-Torres added, “I’m looking forward to working with him as a colleague, a mentor and hopefully a friend.”

Wharton junior Ryan Houston defeated Wharton sophomore Tyler Ernst to become UA treasurer in a vote of 20-5 with one abstention.

Please note All comments are eligible for publication in The Daily Pennsylvanian.