In the wake of the Nominations and Elections Committee decision last week to award available University Council seats to three first-time student groups, the groups that were denied seats have voiced both disappointment and understanding.
Last year's seats were filled by representatives from the InterFraternity Council, UMOJA and the Latino Coalition. While the IFC and the Latino Coalition were two of the five groups to apply for seats, UMOJA did not reapply for representation on the council.
But neither incumbent group was chosen to return to U. Council -- Penn's faculty and student advisory board to the president and provost -- for the 2002-2003 school year.
NEC Chairwoman Anne Hankey, a College senior, said that while all the groups which applied for the seats had important issues to bring to the table, the NEC looked closely at each group's specific goals in choosing this year's bodies.
"What went into the decision process was looking at each group and learning about their agenda items and issues, and seeing if they currently had the ability to bring these concerns to the attention of the faculty and the administration," Hankey said.
According to Hankey, those agenda items and issues are intended to reflect concerns of either minority or misunderstood majority groups.
But while last year's groups holding the seats fit those characteristics, they will not have the chance to directly represent their issues again this year. Instead the Performing Arts Council, the Asian Pacific Students Coalition and the Panhellenic Council will meet face-to-face with administrators at the council's monthly meeting.
Latino Coalition Chairwoman Sabrina Harvey said she feels her group added much to the U. Council last year and will continue to attend the meetings despite losing their seat.
"I think we did make an impact... and I think that no matter what, we will continue to make an impact, we will continue to keep abreast of the situation," the Wharton junior said.
There remains a point of contention between the NEC and the Latino Coalition, though. While Hankey said she felt that the Latino Coalition "got a lot out of UC and they gave a lot back," she claims that the group "did not personally bring an agenda item to the UC."
College sophomore Nicolas Rodriquez, the group's Student Government liaison, says that in fact the Latino Coalition "had one agenda item that we specifically worked on and coordinated with the United Minorities Council, UMOJA and APSC."
According to Rodriquez, the agenda item addressed the issue of funding for minority resource centers on campus including La Casa Latina, the Makuu office, the PAACH office and the Greenfield Intercultural Center.
"As it is currently, the GIC has to share funding with the three other houses because the budget is very limited," Rodriquez said of the issue. "Some of us are looking for permanent staff other than our directors."
While Harvey said she hoped the group would earn the spot for themselves, they expressed satisfaction with the groups chosen.
"I was surprised, but I thought the groups they did chose were excellent choices as well," Harvey said.
But the Latino Coalition was not the only group to lose their former seat. While current IFC President Conor Daly, a College junior, would not comment on the group's failure to retain its spot, former IFC President Mark Zimring, who sat on the council for the first half of the 2001-2002 term, said that the group got a lot out of the experience.
"We were given the opportunity to present our strategic plan, and I thought that was really valuable," the College senior said. "The faculty and staff doesn't traditionally hear positive steps that the Greek system takes."
UMOJA, unlike the other two groups, chose not to submit their application again for a U. Council spot.
"The reason we didn't apply was because at the time the application was due, we had a few other things on our agenda that were more pressing," UMOJA representative Dimitri Dube said.
