Adam Jutha to stay on executive branch during run for senior class president

In a move that echoes a central controversy from last year’s election, Student Body Secretary Adam Jutha will stay in his student government position while also vying for another.

But the office in question and the legality of the run differ.

Jutha is running for senior class president, with the full permission of campus election law.

Last year, Ian Lee ran for student body president without resigning his position as student body secretary. The Board of Elections upheld Lee’s candidacy, but the ensuing controversy contributed to the most contentious student election in recent memory.

An updated version of Title VI, the portion of the Student Code that deals with elections, now allows the student body secretary to run for any position without resigning. The bill took effect in the fall.

Jutha said he is committed to avoiding the controversy of last year.

“The first thing we thought of was to make sure it wasn’t breaking any rules in Student Code, and that was first and foremost,” Jutha said.

Lee said his position as secretary became too much of a distraction last year, and Jutha should take care to avoid that obstacle.

“Adam is going to have to be very careful to keep the campaign about him and his running mate Sarah (Kaminer) and not his position as student body secretary,” he said.

“His position as secretary has no bearing or influence on his position as senior class president, so it shouldn’t really be an issue,” Lee said.

Lee is a member of The Daily Tar Heel’s editorial board.

Jutha said he and the other executive branch officers are confident he will be able to manage his responsibilities along with his campaign.

Cooper said that, after discussion, she and the rest of the branch were “on board” with Jutha’s run and believe he will still be able to perform his duties.

Jutha said he does not think he holds an advantage as a member of student government.

“(The two positions) are mutually exclusive,” he said, adding that the senior class office focuses specifically on the class of 2013, while his current position applies to the entire student body.

Nora Chan, who is running for senior class president with Tim Palmer, said if Jutha’s run is not against the rules, she isn’t concerned.

“We’re all in different groups on campus,” she said. “His case is no different.”

Senior class president candidate Brennan Fox, who is running with Sarah Mafe, expressed concern about whether Jutha would struggle with time.

“It could be a time issue,” Fox said. “He’s going to have trouble balancing the two.”

Mafe said she and Fox are willing to dedicate their full time to the campaign and their class as a whole.

Candidate Alexandra Lowrie, who is running with Amanda Rodriguez, said she hopes each candidate runs a fair campaign.

“Let’s not make the same mistakes as last year.”

Contact the University Editor at university@dailytarheel.com.