New USB e-board announced

New+USB+e-board+announced

Austin Hyun and Frances Wu

After two weeks of election activity that included larger than life posters, hundreds of flyers, speeches, and a revote, Diamond Bar High School Brahmas finalized their votes and elected the USB Executive Board members for the upcoming year.

David Song (President), Nicole Kim (Vice President), Nishat Nayem (Secretary), Jenny Yun (IOC Chairperson), Fiona Yan (Speaker of the House), and Stephanie Pan (Finance Director) were named as the next USB Board, and will take office next semester.

Making it a priority to create lasting impressions, Vice President Kim campaign materials all consisted of the same calligraphic font so that students were aware that she was running. President Song wore a suit everyday of election week and made sure to greet as many students as possible.

“I made it a point to say hello to everyone, to ask how people’s days were going, and to tell them to have a great day. During lunch, I talked to random people and to let the students know I was running,” Song said.

Other campaigning methods include creating Facebook groups, giving out various items with candidates’ slogans stamped on, and posting on various forms of social media to remind students to vote.

Now that the board members have been elected, they have begun to create goals and plans to bring about change for the next semester. Many candidates have also used previous experiences on campus to identify problems at school and create plans and methods to fix them.

“I was inspired by how much impact a student-run organization can have on an individual, and I really want others to see the passion in fervent leaders, taste the fulfillment of carrying out projects with a team, and experience what it is like to be a part of something huge,” Kim said via Facebook. “I hope to see a strengthened coordination between the student government and clubs to ensure that projects run as smoothly as possible.”

The current USB board members will officially step down from their positions at the end of the semester. Current USB president Kevin Lee cites his previous positions of Commissioner of Athletics, IOC Chairperson, and President as one of the most impactful experiences he has ever had, and advises future USB members to “do their best.”

“As I look back now, I am proud to say that I gave it my all and truthfully I want to say I am happy, Life is full of ups and downs. You need give everything your all. At the end of day, you will feel proud of what you accomplished,” Lee reflected.

Unfortunately, this year’s election didn’t go as smoothly as it has in previous years. The original vote was held on a day during which officials from the district were visiting to evaluate the school, resulting in several classes waiting until the next day to cast their votes. Additionally, voting for one of the positions was a near tie, and the ballot given to students made it difficult to identify who was running for which position. As a result, a re-vote was held the following Monday, during which teachers accompanied all of the USB representatives to ensure that everything would run smoothly,

The current voting process, described as “antiquated” by Principal Denis R. Paul, will soon be revised. According to Paul, voting through scantrons is inefficient and extremely prone to error.

“The biggest thing is that we want an election that reflects the true will of the student body. That’s the ultimate goal. … I think it takes a lot of courage, for people to set themselves before their fellow students and as for their vote, and when that happens, I want to make sure that the students have a process that is not flawed,” Paul said.

Paul’s goal is to make the elections electronic. The school administrators are currently looking at other schools’ voting methods in order to make improvements.