After two elections, the United Minorities Council is still looking for people to fill top leadership positions.
Now the organization -- which represents 17 minority groups on campus -- is scrambling to appoint a vice chairman and political chairman.
The first election -- held in November -- was supposed to determine who would hold all the group's positions. Representatives from each constituent group vote on new board members.
But when no "qualified" candidates ran for the two positions that are currently unoccupied, the group held a second election last month, according to outgoing UMC Corresponding Secretary and College senior Katrina Jurn.
Jurn said she could not provide the names of the original candidates, but said their experience and goals did not match what UMC board members at the time envisioned for the organization. The board prevented them from assuming the positions.
After the Jan. 18 election, the two positions were again left unfilled, which College junior and current UMC Chairwoman Shakirah Simley said makes her "somewhat worried."
The group's board is usually made up of 11 members.
"It's hard to transition between boards," Simley said. "When you represent a large constituency, it's often difficult to find [people to fill] positions."
In light of the current situation, council leaders have decided to change the process by which its board is formed. The board will now fill the two empty seats by appointment.
Simley blames the holes in leadership on the council's makeup -- the coalition has a larger board and fewer affiliated campus organizations than some comparable campus organizations.
While 17 minority groups are represented by 11 UMC board members, the Latino Coalition has four board members representing 23 affiliated groups.
"We've never had a problem filling our board," College sophomore and Latino Coalition Communications Chairman Brian Garbow said.
Likewise, the Asian Pacific Student Coalition has eight leaders representing 20 Asian-interest groups.
"We have our elections once a year in December," College sophomore and APSC Vice Chair Jun Li said. "We ... find this is the best way to go about filling the board."
The UMC leadership says that the same difficulties occur each year.
"When I got my position, I was also elected in January," College senior and former UMC Vice Chairwoman Rocio Polanco said. "This isn't an uncommon situation."
Jurn agreed.
"Sometimes none of the people running for the position is qualified," she said. "This was a year where we weren't matching well."
While Simley did not provide a precise deadline for the vice chairman and political chairman appointments, she said that she hopes they will happen soon so the organization can proceed with its agenda.
"We are confident in our new board," Simley said. "Once we find the other two, we will be able to embark on our goals for the year."
