The last of Residence Halls Association's elected positions were filled Wednesday with the appointment of Campbell Hall representative Josh Rabinowitz as vice president.
Rabinowitz faced three other candidates: East Complex Black Caucus representative Jonathan Jones, Case Hall representative James Hensley and Michigan Organization Communications Coordinator Cory Rose. Rose and Hensley also ran for president earlier this month.
No candidate had a majority of the General Assembly's vote after one ballot, which required that Rose and Rabinowitz enter into a runoff ballot. It was then that Rabinowitz was declared the winner.
"There's a brief, 'Oh wow, I didn't expect this at all,'" Rabinowitz said. "But that faded pretty quickly when I realized how much work there is ahead of me. The gravity of the situation is starting to kick in." He will take office April 14.
RHA President Derek Wallbank said Rabinowitz is a good candidate because he didn't run for the recognition he might receive.
"If I have to pick a person out of the crowd who will work behind the scenes without worrying about the recognition, it would be Josh every time. I have tremendous respect for him," he said.
Rabinowitz said he has been involved with RHA for a year and a half. He started as a representative from Emmons Hall and then moved to Campbell Hall. This year, he has chaired committees on advocacy and policy, the latter of which he said will help him fulfill his new duties.
"A lot of the duties are based around policy, making sure all the bills that come through are kosher," he said.
Williams Hall representative Tom Edwards, who serves on RHA's policy committee with Rabinowitz, said being familiar with policy is a part of the vice-presidential position.
"Josh is very familiar with RHA policy, to make quick, sound judgments," he said. "Whenever there's been a gap to fill, he's done it."
Hensley also serves on the policy committee. He said that while policy experience is a bonus, the vice president also needs to fulfill external duties, such as visiting hall government meetings and serving as a mediator between groups, governments and caucuses.
Hensley also said he will be applying for another Executive Board position, director of public relations and advertising.
Rabinowitz said his goal for the organization is to create more teamwork among the General Assembly.
"I want to work on more cohesiveness. It feels to me like there's a lot of untapped resources for productivity," he said.
