The Dartmouth Rainbow Alliance elected Scott Reeder '96 as its new male co-chair last week after the former male co-Chair, Mario Martinus '98, announced his resignation.
The DRA's female co-Chair Herlena Harris said the DRA always has a male and female co-chair. Male DRA members vote for the male co-chair and female DRA members vote for the female co-chair.
"I have been out for a while now and am pretty well known around campus, so this is good for myself and the DRA," said Reeder, who is a Film Studies major and a member of Zeta Psi fraternity said.
Reeder, also known as Wendal, was the only candidate for male co-chair.
"It should operate without any kinks," female co-Chair Herlena Harris '96 said. "Wendal and I get along fine. He was my first choice."
Martinus said he thinks Reeder is very dedicated to the DRA.
"I have no doubts that Wendal will do a great job this term," he said. "If I did not think that someone could do it, I would still be co-chair during my off term."
Martinus resigned citing in a press release "over-commitment and an inability to commit the time needed as co-chair."
"I have been on for six terms," Martinus told The Dartmouth. "This is my first off term since Freshman fall. I would like to be free to do things and not be committed. I could not be sure I would be here all term."
Martinus said he decided to stay on campus for the summer after his freshman year after he was elected co-chair.
"Since I was co-chair, I decided to stay on," he said. "I think that if I did not have that responsibility, I would have taken fall or winter off."
"It was a hard decision," he added. "I thought it was a better decision for the group. I did not think it was proper for me to maintain the title."
Martinus and Harris have led the DRA since summer of 1995. Elections are normally held at the end of Spring term, Harris said. Regular terms last from the following summer through spring of the next year, she said.
"Traditionally, senior spring is when more people come out," Reeder said. "Hopefully, I'll work with [Harris] showing queer people that there is support for them."
