Capp Elected UC VP By Narrow Margin

Former Undergraduate Council (UC) vice-presidential candidate Clay T. Capp ’06 was elected UC vice president by a plurality of members earlier this afternoon, narrowly defeating outgoing senior Jason L. Lurie ’05 22-20 in a secret ballot vote.

Lurie was the only other candidate for the position, after at least eight members declined nomination during the meeting. Two members who many had expected to seek the position, Student Affairs Committee Chair Aaron D. Chadbourne ’06 and UC Treasurer Faraz N. Munaim ’06 also announced in e-mails prior to the UC meeting that they would not run.

Capp failed to command a majority vote of the 50-member council. There were 42 members in attendance at the meeting.

Lurie said that members should elect him so that he could serve out the year, and then have next year’s council, which will be elected in September, choose the next vice president.

The post of UC vice president was vacated four days ago when Ian W. Nichols ’06 abruptly resigned during the UC’s weekly meeting Sunday night.

In his closing statement, Capp responded to allegations from Lurie that the student body was being disenfranchised by the closed election of a new vice president.

UC bylaws mandate that when a popularly-elected post, such as vice president, is vacated, the new leader be chosen by vote of UC members at their next meeting.

“I have said repeatedly and I firmly believe that this is an unfortunate circumstance, but we have to deal with this. We can really build something out of this,” Capp said.

UC President Matthew J. Glazer ’06 said after the votes had been tallied that he was happy with the UC’s choice of Capp.

“I have faith that the decision you made was the right decision,” he said. Glazer said later that he thought the close vote might reflect UC members’ discomfort with the situation of a resigned vice president.

“A lot of members aren’t sure of the best way to move forward and it might seem like an easier way to leave it for the fall,” Glazer said, adding that he needs a vice president to help him during the summer.

—Check thecrimson.com throughout the afternoon for updates.

—Staff writer Liz C. Goodwin can be reached at goodwin@fas.harvard.edu.