In UC Race, 2 Tickets Emerge

Two days before the filing deadline for Undergraduate Council presidential candidates, two unofficial tickets have already emerged—including two hopefuls who have already faced off at lower levels of council politics.

Neither pair of presidential and vice-presidential running mates have submitted the 150 student signatures that would make their candidacies official.

But they have signalled their intentions to run by submitting letters of intent to run, and circulating emails asking for support.

One of the tickets includes John S. Haddock ’07, vice-chair of the Student Affairs Committee (SAC), as a candidate for president, and former UC member Annie R. Riley ’07 for vice president.

The other ticket is topped by John F. Voith III ’07, current chair of the Campus Life Committee (CLC). His running mate is Tara Gadgil ’07, the current chair of SAC.

Council members have also speculated that Connor C. Wilson ’07 may be a third possible presidential candidate. So far, Wilson—who served as campaign manager for failed presidential candidate Tracy “Ty” Moore ’06 last year—has refused to say whether he intends to run, or when he will make a final decision.

Haddock and Gadgil, members of the two acknowledged tickets, have a history of competition.

At the beginning of this semester, both Gadgil and Haddock had hoped to chair SAC, a committee that many in the council see as a stepping stone to the presidency.

After a week of heated politicking on the committee, Gadgil beat out Haddock, who was relegated to the vice-chair position.

Haddock’s pairing with Riley has caught some council watchers off-guard, since many had expected him to choose a running mate who was a current council member.

Riley served on the council last year, but said she chose not to run for reelection this semester because of disillusionment with the council, which she said was disconnected from students.

In the wake of this sudden cancellation of a Wyclef Jean concert funded by the UC, both sets of candidates seem likely to cite their experience on the council as evidence they will manage to avoid such debacles.

Only Voith has served on the council since his freshman year, while Gadgil, Haddock, and Riley all joined as sophomores.

Voith served as vice-chair of the Campus Life Committee last semester, working on several much-criticized campus events including the Afterparty for Springfest. This year, as chair of CLC, Voith has worked on providing shuttles for this weekend’s Harvard-Yale football game in New Haven.

As chair of SAC, Gadgil has worked on revising Committee on Undergraduate Education (CUE) class evaluations, and has also advocated for a women’s center on campus.

As a SAC vice-chair last year, Haddock helped push for 24-hour libraries and changes in the blocking-group system.

Riley last year drafted UC position papers on reforming peer advising and inter-house transfer systems.

But Aaron D. Chadbourne ’06, a former SAC chair and observer of council politics, said mere experience on the council won’t be enough to set candidates apart.

“I think that every candidate brings something different to the table,” said Aaron D. Chadbourne ’06, a former SAC chair. “What students are going to need to look for is what is the vision of each ticket.”

—Staff writer Alexander D. Blankfein can be reached at ablankf@fas.harvard.edu.