Council Lays out Year's Agenda

The leaders of the Undergraduate Council say this semester they will stick with a formula that worked: short debates and visible student services.

"We have succeeded in depoliticizing the council," says council President Beth A. Stewart '00.

But, she says, the challenges remain in convincing the campus that the council is different--and effective.

"You can't have organizations where people can't have fun," Stewart says. "There should be a culture to being a U.C. member. Ambition alone can't be the reason to stay on the U.C."

Stewart and her vicepresident, Samuel C. Cohen '00, won the third-ever popular elections for the 17-year-old student government's top seats last December. Their platform emphasized student services and tangible results.

"I like issues of controversy. I don't like issues of controversy in the U.C. that don't have anything to do with Harvard. That's what other clubs exist for," Stewart says.

Since last winter council debate has shifted from issues such as faculty diversity and human rights in China to bag lunches and longer hours at the Malkin Athletic Center (MAC).

"We showed last semester that when we focus on these issues, we can get results," Cohen says.

Both Stewart and election commissioner Noah Z. Seton '00 called this a transitional year for the council.

"The character of the council should probably be a little bit toned down from the high-intensity politics of the past couple of years," Seton says.

John Paul Rollert '00, a two-year council veteran who supported Stewart and Cohen in the last election, says he believes the student body is still cynical about the council but hopes the leadership can change that this semester.

"I would like to think that because of some of the success the U.C. has had will contribute to some more optimism this year," Rollert said.

The Agenda

Randomization and universal keycard access top Stewart's agenda for this fall. She says the council will lobby the administration for its promised review of the four-year old randomized House lottery system. The council will form a committee and draft a report.

"That's going to be our goal, to get the whole campus involved, to start a campus debate," Stewart says.

The council will continue to press for cable television this year, Cohen says. When the council can promise a large audience, the cable company will wire houses and dorms, he explains.

This year, the council will try to persuade the cable company to agree to a lower threshold for services, Cohen says.

Most candidates who will run in this week's election agree with the agenda. First-years in particular say they are running to improve the lives of their roommates. They mentioned paper towels in the bathrooms and better ice cream in Annenberg, among other needs.

"I enjoy working with my peers," Jonathan M. Gribetz '02 says. "I saw the U.C. as an opportunity to help my peers in academic areas, to plan social events and other activities that would bring the class together."

The Elections

Last year, former council president Lamelle D. Rawlins '99 mounted an unprecedented recruiting effort for the fall general elections. She went to student groups and held meetings for interested female candidates.

Rawlins' efforts resulted in a large turnout. There were 155 candidates, 36.1 percent female. An estimated 29 percent of this year's 134 candidates are female.

The candidate pool for the council was more diverse last year, but Stewart says Rawlins also alienated people "who then felt compelled to run to lead the struggle against what they saw as identity politics," Stewart says.

"I recruited, but it was not to encourage people to run" based on demographics, Stewart says.

About 30 women who came to a council meeting during last spring's debate over equalizing diplomas said they felt the council did not represent their views.

But Stewart says aggressive recruiting of women is not the answer to the gender gap on the council.

"Women who are interested in political campus issues have other outlets for that on campus. Those organizations draw women away from the U.C.," she says.

"There's no white men's club so maybe they come to the U.C. in higher numbers," she adds.

Stewart argues that the council can only draw a wider range of candidates by improving its image among students. For now, the leadership will have to set the tone.

"I think we're trying to attract a group of people that better reflects the students body. Not demographically, just normal people," Stewart says.

--Elizabeth N. Dewar, Eric M. Green, Chris C. Pappas, Meredith B. Osborn and Chris C. Pappas contributed to the reporting of this story.