Class Trustees ballots declared void by College

Two class trustee candidates ineligible

The two final candidates for class trustee for the class of 1997 were declared ineligible this week, resulting in the need for different candidates to run. Diepiriye Kuku OC '97 and Sergio Acevedo OC '97 are both unable to serve as class trustees due to other commitments.

Typically, the highest two vote-getters run for election to the position of class trustee following commencement. As class trustee, the winner would serve as a representative of his or her class in the four annual on-campus meetings of the Board of Trustees.

Secretary of the College Bob Haslun said this is the first time this has ever happened. A new ballot with the names of the next two highest vote-getters, Jessica Darcy and Rob Harper, will be distributed to all members of the classes of '98,'97 and '96.

Kuku cannot attend meetings because of commitments in the Mali Peace Corps and Acevedo is now employed by the College, which makes him ineligible due to College by-laws about class trustee candidates.

A letter from the Mali Peace Corps said Kuku would be unable to attend the four trustees meetings he would be required to if elected.

Last year when Kuku was questioned about his ability to attend the four meetings, he said he would have no problem making the trip from Africa to Oberlin for them. In a letter received by Haslun, however, the Administrative Officer for Peace Corps/Mali said he could not permit the amount of absence from the Peace Corps service that the trusteeship would entail.

The repetitive absences that would be required of Kuku "are not compatible with the commitment expected of [Peace Corps Volunteers]," the letter said.

Ordinarily, if one candidate resigned from the race, the other would win by default. However, since Acevedo took a job as Assistant Area Coordinator with the College this summer, he was rendered ineligible as well. The eligibility requirement of class trustee states, "No person may serve as a class trustee while enrolled as a student at Oberlin College or while employed in any capacity by the College."

"It just slipped my mind," Acevedo said about the requirement that he not be employed by the College to be a trustee. "I would have taken this job regardless."

He said about the coincidence that both he and Kuku are ineligible, "It's so funny to me. Freshmen year we were roommates. He is someone I consider my best friend. We've always had the same dreams. ... It's not like my trustee dreams are over. I can have a trustee dream as an alum."

"We're in the process of contacting the other two top vote-getters," Haslun said.

Haslun said in the past there have been people who have won by default after someone else dropped out of the race. The only other cases of people being ineligible were elected members who failed to graduate with their class.

Rob Harper OC '97, one of the new candidates, said, "It was a big surprise."

"I guess I was actually disappointed that Sergio and Diepiriye were both unable to serve as I was excited about both being candidates, but since both are unable, I was willing to step in and run myself," Harper said..