UA pres. candidates address minority issues

Minority student groups are making sure their voices are heard in the upcoming Undergraduate Assembly elections.

Various minority student groups have publicly endorsed candidates and sponsored one of the presidential debates.

On Friday night, College juniors Matt Amalfitano and Grant Dubler spoke before constituents of the 5B, which consists of the United Minorities Council, the Asian Pacific Student Coalition, the Latino Coalition, the Lambda Alliance and UMOJA, Penn’s black student group. In addition, representatives from the Penn Consortium for Undergraduate Women and PRISM, Penn’s interfaith student group, were also present.

The candidates addressed a range of different issues, from health care for transsexual students and staff, the departmentalization of the Latin American and Latino Studies program and the increase in size of the Asian American Studies and South Asia Studies Departments.

Certain groups endorsed based on questionnaires, while others held a constituent vote.

The UMC formed a Presidential Endorsements Committee that interviewed the presidential and vice-presidential candidates. The candidates also made speeches at the general body meeting. After the committee’s recommendations were presented, constituents voted on endorsements.

“Interculturalism should continue to be an integral part of the UA’s goals, especially academic affairs and student life,” UMC Political Chairwoman and College junior Mariama Perry wrote in an e-mail.

The Latino Coalition endorsement was also made after constituents heard candidates’ speeches and deliberated as a group.

The APSC board made its endorsements after sending out forms to candidates asking them to detail their experiences and plans to work with the Asian/Pacific Islander community, according to APSC Chairman Rohan Grover, a Wharton and College junior.

Grover said he would like to see UA support for the APSC community after the upcoming election, to ensure that the Asian community in Philadelphia is appropriately accounted for.

He also spoke about increased awareness of mental health resources for all students as an issue he’d like to see the UA address.

The Lambda Alliance is endorsing Amalfitano for president and will select its vice presidential choice today. UMOJA will also announce its endorsements today.

UMOJA, like the APSC, is basing selections off questionnaires rather than a constituent vote, UMOJA Chairman and Wharton sophomore Jeffrey Tillus said.

In the future, Tillus would like to see the UA continue helping Haiti relief efforts, including possibly planning an Alternative Spring Break trip to the region. He hopes plans to renovate the ARCH Building move forward, a sentiment echoed by Grover.

PRISM endorsed after circulating a questionnaire among candidates that asked about increasing “institutionalized support for religious communities at Penn,” including a lack of funding, appropriate prayer space on campus and lack of complete administrative support, according to PRISM Co-Chairwoman and College junior Roxana Moussavian.