THE NEWS IN BRIEF

Members of the Black Students Association (BSA) elected Nneka C. Eze ’07 as the next president on Saturday in an uncontested plurality vote for the position.

Eze, citing the organization’s social, political, and cultural nature, said she hopes the upcoming year will be a chance “to continue to foster solidarity amongst members and to improve the balance between the activist and educational goals of the organization.”

The vote was uneventful given the dramatic nature of last year’s elections. After a split vote and accusations of ballot mishandling, Lawrence E. Adjah Jr. ’06 was ultimately chosen president in a runoff vote last May.

A key difference between this year’s election and the last was the number of voters present. According to official election results posted on the BSA e-mail list, 40 voters were present at the meeting, and six absentee ballots were also counted. Last year’s primary vote yielded a 63-63 split for the presidency.

Adjah attributed this year’s lower voter turnout to the fact that only one of the 11 positions voted upon was contested.

The new executive board will officially take office on the first day of spring reading period when it will hold its first meeting.

At this meeting, the vice president will be chosen, since the position was left vacant after this weekend’s elections. In accordance with the BSA’s constitution, a simple majority of the executive board will decide the position. The candidate will then be required to “submit a position paper to the membership delineating his or her commitment to the principles of the BSA as well as his or her qualifications.”

Adjah described the incoming board as “very, very exciting,” adding that it is “representative of the diversity of talents and strengths present within the BSA.”

Other members of the BSA’s 2005-2006 Executive Board include Tess A, Hamilton ’08 as secretary, Alexis C. Maule ’08 as treasurer, Aisha J. Dennis ’08 as arts and entertainment chair, Marcus G. Miller ’08 as publicity and public relations chair, M. Elysia Baker ’07 as public service chair, Chaz M. Beasley ’08 as political action chair, Christina S. Wells ’08 as publications chair, Lori M. Adelman ’08 as alumni representative, and Jennifer N. Wynn ’06 as the incoming senior representative.

—JOSEPH T.M. CIANFLONE