Chairmanship of the United Minorities Council is a tough gig - so tough, in fact, that this year leaders say there were no qualified candidates to fill the role.
The UMC - an umbrella organization for dozens of minority groups at Penn - held elections Wednesday night, and although two candidates were in the running, no chairman was elected. The organization also added another constituent group, the Queer People of Color.
Voting representatives "didn't feel as if the candidates had the experience to take on such a huge responsibility," said the UMC's
outgoing chairwoman, College senior Shakirah Simley.
The position requires a "very serious time commitment, and that is very intimidating to a lot of people," Simley said.
The UMC also had trouble filling its board the last time it held elections, when several positions remained vacant into February.
According to Simley, however, these incidents are mere blips on the radar in the organization's 30-year history - not representative of the start of a negative trend.
The remaining 10 positions on the 2007 board were mainly filled by sophomores.
Simley said the group is confident that it will be able to fill the position of chairman by January through reaching out to the UMC's constituent groups. Until then, incoming vice chairman and College sophomore Vipul Kumar will act as interim chair.
One initiative Kumar said was close to his heart is increasing the diversity of Counseling and Psychological Services.
And, though the group is currently without a leader, he said the board members' commitment is far from lacking.
"Passion is so key for a position like this," Kumar said.
Simley said that, while some may view the current state of the UMC as "a ship without a captain," she has no qualms about the new board's ability to lead. "I think that the board that we have is fantastic. . This is a very temporary, transitional period," Simley said.
She added that the extra time needed for selecting a chairman will allow candidates to begin to wrap their heads around the duties the position entails.
"It is intimidating. I was intimidated. But you get over it and you do your job," Simley said.
As president of the South Asian Society - one of the UMC's constituent groups - Wharton junior Rita Bagai said she frequently worked with the Simley in her tenure as UMC chairwoman.
The UMC is "such an important organization and has such great potential. . I think it is essential that we get a qualified chair," Bagai said.
Bagai said the position is important because the chairman serves as the "unifying face" for campus minorities.
In the meantime, the new board has already begun planning ways to achieve its goals for next year.
