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The Undergraduate Government of Boston College admitted in a a statement Tuesday night that it mishandled the appointment of Connor Bourff, A&s '15, as acting Executive Vice President after former second-in-charge Chris Marchese left his position Sunday night.
The letter, signed by UGBC's Executive Council, read, “Our administration has prided itself on transparency and openness; however, the replacement process for Executive Vice President Chris Marchese was not done in that same spirit, and for that we apologize."
After Marchese, elected by the student body in February, alerted UGBC to his decision Sunday night, the Executive Council, “wanted to act quickly to stabilize UGBC after the seat fell vacant last week in this unprecedented situation.”
The letter explains that an interpretation of the constitutional guidelines by the Executive Council lead to the announcement of Bourff as Executive Vice President.
As the Vice President of Student Initiatives, Bourff was offered the position of Executive Vice President by the Executive Council, including current UGBC President Nanci Fiore-Chettiar. Bourff, however, was chosen by the Executive Council despite the order of succession described in the UGBC Constitution.
By a different interpretation of the UGBC Constitution, President Pro Tempore of the Student Assembly Mike Rosella, A&S ‘15, would have been offered the position of Executive Vice President.
"We recognize that the process was flawed," the letter says. "We are taking steps to rectify the situation. On Monday night, we met with the Student Assembly chairs and Conference Leader to apologize and develop a plan of action."
The Executive Council also is pledging to revisit and clarify their current governing documents "to ensure that UGBC does not slow progress or lose focus of the needs of the student body." Transparency, the letter reads, is vital to the entire process.
"The new revisions [with governing documents] will not interfere with UGBC’s new external approach; the goal is not to get bogged down in internal logistics and politics," the letter says. "But rather take a holistic and practical look at the Constitution to determine what will serve UGBC, and ultimately the student body, best."
Outgoing Executive Vice President Chris Marchese, A&S ’15, resigned citing “personal reasons.” UGBC is “working together to develop a re-evaluation process to determine Chris Marchese’s potential return for the spring semester as Executive Vice President.”
This Sunday, November 23, at 7:30 p.m. in Fulton 511, the senators of the Student Assembly will meet to confirm Connor Bourff as new Executive Vice President. The meeting is open to all members of the Boston College community.
Editor's note: The article originally stated that "the letter explains that constitutional guidelines were overridden by the Executive Council in announcing Bourff was Executive Vice President." This has been corrected to more truthfully reflect the contents of the letter.
School, major and year: Arts and Sciences, Political Science, and Class of 2016
Hometown: Hamilton, New Jersey
Favorite Beyonce lyric: "I don't think you're ready for this jelly"
