A New Start at the IOP

No matter what their interests, all Harvard students should benefit from the living memorial to President John F. Kennedy '40, the Institute of Politics (IOP). Just as politics is relevant to every career and academic field, the IOP should be part of every student's Harvard experience. This inclusive spirit was the intent of Kennedy's loved ones, colleagues and friends when they established the IOP more than 35 years ago, and it is still our attitude today. The IOP has amazing resources-- a diverse group of resident fellows, a wide range of forums and conferences and an impressive professional staff. We want students to take advantage of these resources and to feel welcome among us.

In early December, significant changes were made at the IOP. We replaced self-selecting student leadership with democratic elections, and we announced that the Director's Task Force, a group of elected students, IOP staff and Harvard alumni, would develop a long-term plan for improving our service to Harvard's students. These initiatives brought public scrutiny to the IOP. With this scrutiny came many new ideas for how we can continue to improve. Undoubtedly, these suggested changes will aid the Director's Task Force in developing a long-term plan for the IOP. Once the Task Force completes its work in April, we will hold elections for next year's leadership.

This semester, our top priority is to work with other student groups so that they see us as a resource and not as a competitor. To further this goal, we have offered partnerships to the Black Students Association (BSA) and the Environmental Action Committee (EAC) this semester. We hope to offer these groups our institutional support in exchange for their use of IOP resources to promote issues before the campus. If our BSA and EAC partnerships help us reach new students, we may seek such collaborations with other groups next year.

We also want to appeal to students passionately interested in policy issues. Most students at the IOP focus on one type of event (such as the Forum or the Study Groups, for example) that allows them to explore a variety of political issues. We understand that some students want to focus their extracurricular efforts on one specific issue. Our recently created policy groups will, then, integrate specific issues into IOP programs and will also reach out to related student groups on campus. For example, we recently created new policy groups on education and health care to compliment our existing group on science and technology.

We also hope to dispel the myth that students must know about politics to get involved at the IOP. Most of our programs are educational, and all assume no previous political knowledge. The IOP educates students through public service projects and through exposure to leading politicians, activists and observers of the political process. We even offer "Politics for Dummies," an undergraduate program that guides students through debates on important topics. The course is intended for those who would like a broad introduction to current political issues.

Finally, we want to provide students with opportunities to act upon the issues they discuss in our regular programs. In addition to our current programs--such as CIVICS, Community Action, the Harvard Political Review, Project HEALTH and the Women's Leadership Project--this semester we will offer several other venues for action. When a first-year approached us with his concerns about Africa's AIDS crisis, for example, the IOP helped him create a group that seeks solutions to the epidemic. The IOP intends to conduct an Institute-wide effort to address the declining interest of youth in public service. One of our resident fellows, Politics Online President Phil Noble, will aid with these action-based projects. He plans to work with students to create an online tool-kit for activists who want to spread their message with the Internet. Noble will also work with students to encourage public officials to use the Internet to serve and connect with young constituents.

This semester's changes represent a fraction of the improvements to come. And with your input, the Director's Task Force will find other ways to eventually serve all Harvard students. We encourage you to partake in the Task Force's remodeling of the Institute by presenting your suggestions and ideas at our meetings. We assure you that the IOP's ongoing evolution will not threaten your ability to enjoy its programs and projects. The foremost objective of this remodeling is to make the IOP more inclusive and inviting.

The IOP's welcome mat is out. We want to meet you, to discuss your ideas and to share with you the excitement of our mission. As such, we invite you to join us at two upcoming events. Today at 6 p.m. we will offer an informal informational session in Loker Commons. We also welcome you to join us tomorrow at the IOP at 3 p.m. so that you may meet our new resident fellows.

Even if you miss these events, please consider us as your resource this semester. If there is a speaker you want to see at Harvard, a topic you want our campus to discuss or a project you would like to create, we want to help you make it happen. No matter who you are, the level of your political knowledge or where your interests lie, we urge you to join us this semester, even if for just a short while. You deserve to benefit from Kennedy's living memorial.

Former Sen. David H. Pryor is director of the IOP. Robert F. McCarthy '02, a government concentrator in Mather House. is president of the IOP Programming Committee.