In only the second mid-year turnover in its nine-year history, the Undergraduate Council last night ousted incumbent candidate Evan B. Rauch '91-'92 in favor of Robert C. Rhew '92, former Services Committee co-chair.

Five candidates made bids for the council's top post: Rauch, Rhew, Eugene S. Kim '92, Adam D. Taxin '93 and surprise nominee Benjamin M. Morss '91.

Rauch failed to garner enough votes to reach the runoff, which pitted Rhew and Kim against each other.

Council members speculated that Rauch's emphasis on the issue of whether second semester seniors should serve as council chairs hurt his chances for reelection.

Rauch, who will graduate this June, circulated an unofficial council-wide poll earlier this month asking whether he should run for the post and resign in April to allow his successor to continue the council's work over the summer.

"I think if Evan hadn't brought up the issue of second semester seniors, he probably would have won in a landslide," said Daniel H. Tabak '92. "I think Evan really hurt his chances by bringing up an issue that could only lose him votes."

But Rauch defended his actions, saying the debate was valuable to the council.

"I think it was the right thing to do from a moral point of view," he said. "It probably did hurt me politically, but I can live with that."

Rhew and several other candidates brought up the second-semester senior issue in their speeches and position papers.

"If Evan were not a second-semester senior, it definitely would not have been as competitive a race as it was," Rhew said.

"I think that Evan's displacement for reelection was a reelection of his being a second-semester senior," said former council Vice Chair Joel D. Hornstein '91-'92, who said he didn't run again because of his own status as a second-semester senior. "I don't think we're going to see any more second-semester seniors in the leadership structure."

Morss's unexpected candidacy may also have hurt Rauch's reelection bid.

"Although he was put forward as a joke, he did get votes--votes that probably would have gone to Evan," said council member Hillary K. Anger '93.

In the other officer elections, David A. Aronberg '93 defeated Bonni N. Grant '92 to become vice-chair. In addition, former Finance Committee Chair Alliric I. Willis '91 ran unopposed for Treasurer, and Jennifer W. Grove '94 ran unopposed for Secretary.