Rising United Minorities Council Chairwoman Darcy Richie has a busy year ahead of her.
The College junior -- who was elected along with the UMC's eleven other new members Thursday night -- said that she plans on extending the previous council's efforts to increase the presence of UMC events campuswide.
"There was a really good turn-out for Unity Week, but we want it to be better," Richie said. "We want it to be something the whole campus expects."
While these goals reign high, newly-elected Political Chairman Alex Breland cites a broader goal -- figuring out the place of various groups within the umbrella organization.
While as of now the UMC services its 16 constituent groups, its board members are debating whether or not to add another one, Breland said.
"Many discussions are taking place over the place of the [Lesbian Gay Bisexual Transgendered] community within the UMC," the College junior noted. "We are figuring out whether we have a common political agenda."
UMC Vice Chairman Raj Dedhia, who was recently promoted from his prior position as treasurer, said that he wants to see the UMC move beyond facilitating racial unity.
The College senior cited the LGBT in saying that the UMC must take a "holistic" stance toward Unity Week, meaning that the organization cannot promote unification campuswide without going beyond racial lines.
Also ranking high on the agenda is the establishment of a civilian review board. The call for a board to consider civilian complaints against Penn Police began last January after the alleged racial profiling against then-College senior Dimitri Dube.
After many efforts headed by former political chairman Shaun Gonzales, three students were appointed to the Division of Public Safety Advisory Board. One of these students was Breland, who has decided to carry on Gonzales' torch by taking his place as the UMC's new political chair.
Last month, Breland resigned from his post as Advisory Board appointee because the UMC did not want to give the false impression that the UMC was content with this solution, Gonzales said in a previous interview.
Now, Breland will pick up these pieces and begin the effort for a civilian review board once more.
Outgoing UMC Chairman Papa Wassa Nduom, a College junior, confidently asserted that he believes next year's team of board members will be even more productive than the one this past semester.
"They're very enthusiastic," he said. "A lot of qualified people ran."
Richie and many other members added that they are itching to start working on their new projects.
Returning Admissions Co-chairwoman Sabrina Austin, a Wharton sophomore, decided to remain in her position, continuing to work toward the recruitment and retention of Native American students, as she has already helped establish a Native American constituent group called Six Directions.
"A lot of the things I'm working on are the same this year," Austin said.
In addition, with the help of the newly-elected fellow Admissions Co-chairman Carlos Rivera-Anaya, Austin hopes to embark on a high school outreach program aimed at minority high school students.
Still, as Dedhia puts it, "young blood" flows through most of this year's group. For this reason, Richie said that while plans and goals abound, a huge portion of the semester will be centered around continued learning and growth.
Other new members include Natalie Fabe, Katherine Lee, Terry Shu, Thuy Tran, Julijia Zubac and Kamaria Shauri.
