Fifteen Minutes: Back in The Good Old Days: A Visit to the Undergraduate Council's Past

Nixon's dead, Carter and Ford are piddling around as retired folk, Reagan barely remembers that he was once president, and Bush is busy grooming his successor to the throne. While we impatiently wait for Clinton to finish his office antics and half-listen to the presidential candidates of 2000 talk about their visions, what about our own past student presidents? FM recently caught up with a few past student government presidents (you know, it wasn't always called the Undergraduate Council), figured out what they're doing now and discussed their experiences while in office.

The Undergraduate Council president in 1998, Beth Stewart '00, was elected on a platform calling for change in campus life, a contrast from the activist council that preceded her reign. She successfully campaigned for cable television in House common rooms. While she was president, the council instituted the Fly-By lunch convenience in Loker and made progress with universal keycard access. Another major effort instituted by the College during Stewart's reign was the establishment of a $25,000 fund for student organizations, giving the 250-plus groups at Harvard a much-needed financial boost. Being president of course, wasn't all fun and games.

"I learned the art of flirtation, negotiation and compromise," Stewart recalls. "I also became intermittently acquainted with my own flaws. I learned some hard lessons about the media and press relations."

The experience was also an enriching one, though. "I met all of my best friends in the U.C.--I still see them at parties and birthday parties...the current president, [Noah Z. Seton '00] and the vice-president [Kamil E. Redmond '00]--we're all best friends."

Being the undergraduate student body president of Harvard vaulted Stewart into the national spotlight numerous times. She was quoted in The New York Times more than once and also wrote a short piece for Rolling Stone about the impeachment of President Clinton. In addition, after contacting the people at "Politically Incorrect," she appeared (after her term as president was over) on Bill Maher's show. Stewart plans to attend law school and then serve in a public service or an administrative capacity.

Before Stewart, Rob Hyman '98 and Lamelle D. Rawlins '99, respectively, reigned supreme. Talk about finding your best friends in the council--the two graduates currently live together, self-proclaimingly "deeply in love," in Cambridge. While Hyman counts Rawlins as the "number one benefit of being president," the two also worked closely together during their terms to revitalize the workings of the student government and, student life at Harvard. Hyman served three terms as president; in 1995 he was the first president elected by popular election of the entire undergraduate student body. Before then, the election of president was, as Hyman puts it, "an incestuous smoke-filled process" where the council members elected one of their own as chair of the council. Hyman recalls, "I was roundly condemned by the conservatives who preferred the former 'old boy' small agenda. I'm proud of becoming Public Enemy #1 to that old boy club. We accomplished a lot of things."

As president of the council, Hyman "wanted to redirect the council's agenda to a bold, progressive, activism focus," and did so with successful efforts that included free HIV testing and support of labor unions. "We were standing up for students in areas that before couldn't have been talked about," Hyman remembers. There were also several smaller initiatives that ensured that all students, regardless of their financial situation could enjoy the full college experience. One was the making available of free formal tickets to underprivileged students. Hyman recalls, "We got the financial aid office to set aside so many tickets for those underprivileged students--I think that's one thing that will never be repealed because it's such a great thing. I was proud to lead that project team." Being council president was for Hyman "the most rewarding part of my college experience. Most of my best friends for life were from U.C., and of course, Lamelle!" Today Hyman has returned to the private sector, working in Cambridge as a management consultant.

Rawlins, vice-president in 1996-97 and president in 1997-98, furthered Hyman's work to make the council more activist. During her time in student government, the council spoke out on same-sex commitment ceremonies in Memorial Church and lack of women and minorities in the faculty. One major thing she did gain from her experiences was a sense of connections: "That sense of direct accountability and the excitement that came with moving toward our common goals continues to inspire me." Rawlins currently works for a new family foundation in Boston.

A search in the archives even further back finds Guhan Subramanian '92, who was chair of the Student Assembly in 1989-90. The strongest skill he says he gained was "being able to manage and coordinate the efforts of, what was back then, 85 people, and to motivate and excite a large group of people like that to do things." He still keeps in touch with the then-treasurer and secretary, and also keeps contact with other council people on a "professional basis--a lot of them are all over the place doing all sorts of different things." Some of the efforts that went on that year included an early discussion of House randomization. "We had some incredibly interesting debates between students and faculty about the House randomization," Subramanian recalls. "I'm glad to see how it's worked out today for the better." After graduating, Subramanian went straight to graduate school in Cambridge, getting his JD-MBA at Harvard Law School and Harvard Business School. After that he went into consulting at McKinsey and Co.; today he is back on campus teaching at the Business School--an impressive resume for someone who had the good fortune to be able to put the Undergraduate Council on his resume.

--Harriett A. Green