After a resignation in June left one Student Association executive board position open, David Redbord was named the new vice president for multicultural affairs after yesterday’s elections confirmed his victory by almost 100 votes.

Redbord was one of three candidates contending for the office after VPMA-elect Rabeel Patoli resigned, citing personal reasons.

The other two candidates, Radhames Tejada and Muqsith Ahmadi, came in with 130 and 14 votes, respectively. A total of 394 students voted in the election, with 35 students voting for a write-in.

‘I was very excited [when I found out I won],’ Redbord said. ‘I think there’s a lot of work to be done and I can’t wait to begin.’

Five different officials have occupied the position, which has been riddled with inconsistencies throughout the last two years.

In 2005, then-VPMA Ju-Sun Lee resigned and withdrew from school three months into the fall semester to pursue a career in software production. After giving up his seat, J. Nathaniel Reed, known commonly on campus as ‘Mr. Reed,’ won the office and served for the remainder of the academic year.

Because last year’s race between Reed and current SA President David Bass was too close to call (Reed was the winner with a 1 percent margin), a re-run was scheduled. Reed conceded before the election could take place and Bass remained VPMA for the 2006-2007 academic year.

When Patoli ran unopposed last spring, he won with almost 86 percent of the vote, while Redbord, who ran as a write-in candidate, had just over 7 percent of the vote.

Bass said that although in the past some may have perceived the position as merely a leader for cultural groups on campus, the office does more than just coordinate with such organizations.

‘I think that sometimes people [who apply for the position] are shocked ‘ about the whole gamut of expectations, that it actually goes way beyond being a multicultural leader and is also about being an overall student leader,’ Bass said.

On Tuesday Bass said he was encouraged by the traits of the three candidates, adding that they would all bring ‘different things to the table.’

An additional obstacle, another former VPMA said, is the motivation for taking the position ‘ an element that could spoil the integrity of the office.

Reed said that a candidate’s dedication should be based on the student groups themselves, rather than the value of the title.

‘I think that what may have made it difficult to commit to the office, for some of those who have been involved, has a lot to do with the use of the office for purposes of resume rather than for the interest of the community at hand,’ Reed said. ‘The office is one that most significantly needs the support of the groups it represents, and I would say that what is necessary is that kind of round-table situation that makes sure that the communication between the office and the groups is open.’

Linda Morales, the director of multicultural affairs, also emphasized the importance of the relationships between the office and student groups.

‘The VPMA position, as many of the other executive board positions, do take up a lot of time, focus and responsibility,’ Morales said. ‘There’s a lot of time that goes into relationship-building, and building open lines of communication and trust.’

Even one of the candidates who dropped out of this week’s election, Carla Gunther, the interim VPMA, agreed that the potential of the office was too important to be dismissed.

‘I just don’t think my schedule will allow me to take on the position for the rest of the year,’ Gunther said. ‘I think the position deserves to go to someone who can really devote more time to it.’