University Board is in the process of electing a new chair and vice chair.

The current students filling these positions, chair Melissa Schaefer and vice chair Pat LaMorte, are both leaving the board because they are graduating.

Elections will take place after spring break to fill these positions.

Mike Usher, the current comedy coordinator, is currently the only one running for the chair position.

Usher, a sophomore business major, said UB needed coordinators to step up to fill the open spots but that is not his only reason for running.

“I think I could hopefully improve the board throughout the year,” Usher said.

Usher said if he becomes chair he wants to get more people out to more events, as well as bringing more events, whether those events are big or small.

“It’s really sad that we have all these big events and we have all of like what, 10,000 students, and we still will only get a fraction of them,” Usher said.

He said open mic nights feature good musicians, but only average 20 people.

UB has had to recently deal with cancellations. Bill Nye canceled his big performance this semester and the Jordan Carlos, the comedian scheduled for Feb. 29, canceled at the last minute.

Usher said these cancellations couldn’t be controlled by UB.

“The only thing we can do in the future is not deal with those agents or get contracts in earlier,” Usher said.

But even if that is done, Usher said, unforeseen situations can arise.

To become chair, one must have been on the board for a minimum of one year, have and maintain a 2.25 cumulative GPA and be elected by the board.

The process begins with nominations. After a person is nominated, they prepare a five to 10 minute presentation to give to the entire board.

“Every year is a little different,” Schaefer said. “Some candidates just come with speeches, others have prepared Powerpoints to discuss goals if elected to the position.”

The following week, the elections are held where every coordinator votes.

Schaefer, a senior art education major, said if a committee such as Homecoming has two coordinators, they share a vote.

The candidate wins based off a majority vote.

The chair and vice chair are elected to one-year terms. They can run for re-election the following year if they choose.

This is unlike the coordinator positions. Coordinators stay in their position until they choose to step down or move to a different position.

Other positions also available on UB

Ceci Brinker, director of student life, said limiting the chair and vice chair terms allows for coordinators an opportunity for a larger leadership position.

“Obviously having been on the board and if they’ve done a good job as a coordinator, I think that’s a good way to elevate their status and to recognize their experience and the experiences they have,” Brinker said.

Having the chairperson change yearly gives a fresh approach to the position, Brinker said.

“As a coordinator, they’ve seen how the chairs work with them,” Brinker said. “There might be some room for improvement. There might be some room that they can build on what they believe coordinators need and helping them to be successful.”

The biggest challenge is that there are more responsibilities and duties.

Brinker said chair and vice chair are the two major positions that coordinate and supervise the entire board.

Schaefer said a chair is responsible for advising UB committees, maintaining the calendar of events and presenting additional allocation and fiscal year budget requests to Apportionment Board. They also register for and prepare for the National Association for Campus Activities (NACA) conferences, working closely with Brinker.

Brinker said Usher’s track record with the UB comedy series shows he’s up for the challenge.

“I think overall, Mike (Usher) has done a very good job in his programming area,” Brinker said.

She also said Usher has an overall commitment to UB – not just the comedy committee.

“He’s very passionate about being involved in UB,” Brinker said. “He takes a great deal of pride in being a coordinator and what UB represents on this campus and that’s something that he demonstrates by talking to people, interacting with people.”

Usher said the current chair and vice chair balance UB responsibilities with outside activities.

He said he is focused to devote his time to UB and nothing else.

The chair has to deal with every single committee and Usher, who said he gets along with people great, said if the chair does not have a good relationship with the coordinators, they do not cooperate as well.

Brinker said Usher already has some established relationships with most of the coordinators across the board.

Several other UB positions are also open. They include homecoming elect and concert elect, which are two year positions, public relations, movies, and then possibly comedy, cultural arts and lectures.

There is interest internally within UB for some of these positions and those people will have the opportunity to apply first, Brinker said.

After students within UB have applied and interviewed, decisions will be made and then the remaining positions will be open to the general campus.

All of the elections and interviews will be held after spring break. Applications are being accepted at the Student Activities Center in the Martin Luther King, Jr. University Union.

Emily Zulz can be reached at 581-7942 or at eazulz@eiu.edu.