UGBC presidential candidate Kudzai Kapurura tapped Caleb Wachsmuth as her new running mate in the upcoming UGBC election on Wednesday after the previous vice presidential candidate withdrew from the race.
“[Caleb is] a very great guy, very organized, smart, [and] hardworking,” said Kapurura, this year’s Martin Luther King, Jr. Scholarship recipient and MCAS ’23. “He’s actually part of the UGBC [Council for Students with Disabilities]. He attends meetings and is very engaged in that, so I figured this is the next best, and he’s amazing, and I’m glad I picked him.”
Lawrence Zhang, MCAS ’23, withdrew his candidacy for personal reasons. He informed Kapurua of his decision a few days ago, she said.
“I’m really thankful for him,” Kapurura said. “He’s still a really great friend of mine, and, you know, I appreciate him, and he’ll still, as much as he can, help us out and support us.”
Kapurura said she selected Wachsmuth, MCAS ’24, as her new running mate because he was already on the campaign’s Student Assembly policy team.
“He had seen the initiatives and platform and was totally on board with everything, even giving some suggestions and additions at some of our previous meetings and encounters,” she said. “So I think he’s going to be a perfect replacement.”
Wachsmuth said he was ecstatic when Kapurura asked him to fill the vice president position.
“Kudzai and I have been close since January 2021 and I was honored she thought of me,” Wachsmuth said in an email to The Heights.
Wachsmuth said his experiences in social work and working for Boston Rescue Mission, a local homeless shelter, have informed his policy goals for the campaign.
“A goal of mine that I hope to contribute to the campaign, along with already established positions, is an expansion of the Montserrat House to serve BC’s lower-income students,” he said. “This includes expansion of resources for not only Montserrat, but BAIC, [Learning to Learn], and other on-campus groups advocating for BC’s marginalized students.”
Wachsmuth said he and Kapurura hope to bring their shared experiences to Boston College if elected.
“Echoing the Jesuit values of love and justice, service and open-mindedness [is] extremely close to our hearts,” he said.
The Elections Committee said it allowed Kapurura to select a new candidate for vice president after Zhang withdrew from the race, but though Kapurura and Zhang collected 250 signatures before their campaign officially launched—one of several requirements the Election Committee sets for potential presidential and vice presidential candidates—they must receive another 250 signatures with Wachsmuth now on the ticket.
Kapurura said they must receive the signatures by Friday, but the Elections Committee will allow Wachsmuth to participate in the diversity, equity, and inclusion debate on Thursday night without the new team’s required signatures.
Overall, the change in vice presidential candidates will not affect her team’s chance of winning the election, Kapurura said.
“I really think that the overall goal of doing this is just to support students and to push for progress and what the students need,” she said. “To minimize it to winning or losing would be an insufficient response—that’s not all it’s about.”
Lawrence Zhang declined a request for comment.
Update (3/24/22, 12:20 p.m.): This article was updated to include quotes from Caleb Wachsmuth.
Correction (3/25/22, 10:25 a.m.): This article was updated to reflect that Wachsmuth works at Boston Rescue Mission, not volunteers.
Featured Graphic by Annie Corrigan / Heights Editor
