UA replacements fill vacated seats

The past year's Undergraduate Assembly has seen a four-member turnover out of its 33 elected members -- these four have either resigned or met their maximum number of absences. This fluctuation of members seems to be a growing trend in the UA. Replacements are chosen based on the number of votes received during the last election. College junior Charlie Fuller has replaced College sophomore Susan Oh, who recently resigned from her post as School of Arts and Sciences representative for the UA. In addition to Oh, College junior Jamie Berg, Wharton senior Joanna Mesh and College senior Marc Sinoway have all been replaced respectively by College sophomore Lauren Dooley, Wharton junior Andrew Gomez and College sophomore Klair Spiller. UA Chairman Seth Schreiberg said that the turnovers didn't upset the UA's composition and that he doesn't "think that it reflects anything about the UA.... It is a personal decision." However, he said that the replacement members work harder in their positions because "they look at it as an opportunity to prove they deserve it." Berg was a UA member for three years when she posted her resignation. She said that it was a difficult decision, but she thought she was obligated to give her spot to someone who would be more dedicated to the job. "I think I felt that at this point, I could fulfill the same role as an outside member... but this way, someone else can get a chance to really make a difference." And although Berg said she tried to stay involved by helping to plan a blood drive, she felt "it was difficult returning as a nonmember." Schreiberg said that it is the personal duty of the members to understand the commitment to the UA when they run and to charter their own priorities. "The UA is an extracurricular activity, so when someone decides that something in their personal life needs to take precedence, then it needs to take precedence," Schreiberg said. However, Nominations and Elections Committee Chairwoman Rebecca Silberman said that the NEC has tried to take a more active role to help members increase accountability to constituents and retain their position throughout their term. The NEC has posted "role call votes" in the UA meeting minutes posted on the student government information Web site -- this way, students can see how their representatives voted on issues, and representatives more directly feel the weight of their responsibility. Silberman said that it is difficult for members to feel close to their constituents because "their constituents are the whole school." To break down the liability of each member, the NEC has discussed other options, which include creating a party system with relevant platforms that students can support and breaking down representation based on campus location.