Chebbi ’24 announced next Young Alumni Trustee, just 18 percent turnout

On Friday, May 24, Aisha Chebbi ’24 was elected Young Alumni Trustee (YAT) for the Class of 2024. Chebbi will serve on the University’s Board of Trustees starting on July 1, which will mark the beginning of her four-year term.

These results come after Chebbi, Sydney S. Johnson ’24, and Chioma Ugwonali ’24 won the primary election in April, following a preliminary race with 27 total candidates.

The election, which ran from May 1 to May 15, saw a voter turnout of 18 percent, including 30 percent of the Class of 2024. Members of the Class of 2022, 2023, 2024, and 2025 were all eligible to vote.

The University did not share the breakdown of votes for each candidate by publication time. Chebbi was unable to provide comment in time for publication.

The YAT election process has continually faced scrutiny due to its controversial “no campaigning” rule, which does not permit candidates to run on specific platforms. The election rules also prohibit candidates from engaging in issue-based campaigning or running an organized campaign.

The election results come amid a divestment campaign led by pro-Palestine student activists. On Thursday, the CPUC Resources Committee met to consider their demands, which includes financial divestment from “companies that profit from or engage in Israel’s ongoing military campaign, occupation, and apartheid policies.” While the committee will interrogate the merit of the request and make a recommendation, the Board of Trustees — which the YAT belongs to — holds the final authority on divestment.

According to the YAT handbook, the restriction on political campaigning is is to benefit the operation of the Board of Trustees. “The Board … works best if every trustee comes to each issue with an open mind, the ability to consider all evidence and an overarching commitment to arrive at the best decision for the University as a whole, not as an advocate for a particular constituency or point of view.”

YATs were established in 1969 “to ensure that the Board would always include four members with recent experience as undergraduates,” according to the handbook. While the position has been criticized for its lack of transparency, former YATs have defended the role.