UC Establishes Black Caucus

Undergraduate Council President Yasmin Z. Sachee '18, Vice President Cameron K. Khansarinia '18, and Treasurer Nicholas D. Boucher '19 at the U.C.'s first general meeting of the semester on Sunday evening. By Amy Y. Li

The Undergraduate Council established a Black Caucus on Sunday, marking the body’s second formalized caucus after its Latinx Caucus formed this spring.

Until April, the UC did not recognize any caucuses, with some members arguing that they would add “complex bureaucracy” to the College’s student government. Shortly after the Council passed a piece of legislation formally allowing caucuses, a group of representatives came together to form its Latinx Caucus.

On Sunday, a motion to establish a Black Caucus passed unanimously amongst the Council’s executive board, comprised of the President, Vice President, Secretary, and Treasurer of the Council, as well as chairs of its standing committees.

Victor C. Agbafe ’19, a Dunster House representative and a member of the Black Caucus, said the group of students had already begun its outreach to the student body.

“We’ve already done substantive work meeting with groups to collaborate with the [Black Students’ Association] and we have plans to collaborate with other groups within the black community to get to work here,” he said.

This Wednesday, the Black Caucus and Black Students’ Association will co-host an event protesting Charles A. Murray ’65, a sociologist who previously stirred violent demonstrations at Middlebury College and is set to speak at Harvard.

Also at Sunday’s meeting, the UC amended its governing documents to ensure its budget for the upcoming year will be voted on by members of the soon-to-be elected 36th Undergraduate Council instead of the 35th Undergraduate Council.

Previously, budgets were passed during the UC’s last meeting of the year. Under the new system, the budget will be proposed during the UC’s first meeting with members from the Class of 2021 on Sept. 17.

Speaking to a room of UC members and prospective freshmen interested in hearing more about the student government, Rules Committee Chair Evan M. Bonsall ’19 said that under the Council’s old timeline, new members would not have the opportunity to have a say on the budget.

“The bylaws, as they currently stand, require the Undergraduate Council to pass a budget at the very first meeting of the fall semester which is a problem,” he said. “Many of you, for example, will be held to a budget which you had no hand in making, because we would have to pass it at this meeting right now.”

Candidates for the UC can declare their candidacy starting on Monday morning and election results will be announced on Friday, Sept. 15.

—Staff writer Andrew J. Zucker can be reached at andrew.zucker@thecrimson.com. Follow him on Twitter @AndrewJZucker.