A Voter’s Guide to UC Elections

Undergraduate Council (UC) elections are a mad and confusing dash to office—the whole thing happens in six days. Amid the candy bribing, hand shaking, promise making, and postering, it’s hard to feel like you have a sense of who to vote for, especially if you are a freshman.

But fear not! As a member of The Crimson’s Editorial Board I have dealt with the UC more than your typical undergraduate, and so I have put together this handy-dandy guide to UC elections. Don’t expect me to tell you what to look for in a candidate—that is up to you. Instead, I’ll try to explain the UC and give you an idea of the types of issues a representative will be faced with—and thus the types of questions you should be asking.

The basic structure of the UC is fairly straightforward. Although you just vote for UC representatives, most of the work is done in three committees: the Student Affairs Committee (SAC), which advocates for the student body (like pressing the administration to have a 24-hour library), the Financial Committee (FiCom), which allocates grant money (the UC had about $213,500 to give to student groups last year), and the Campus Life Committee (CLC), which plans campus-wide events. Each House or Yard gets three representatives. With some exceptions, the winners choose committees based on the number of votes they get.

The problem is that candidates often campaign for one committee (more often than not SAC) and then do a lackluster job if they don’t get that committee. So, the ideal candidate should be multifaceted and be able to work in any of the three areas. The best way to make sure of this is to ask them questions regarding their ideas for all three committees.

In the student affairs area, ask candidates questions about how they will improve life on campus. Most will say they want longer dining hall hours. But do they have other ideas? What are they? Are they realistic? After all, the UC is only a student government, and it often takes more than just the UC to make big changes.

Student advocacy will also play a larger role this year as the University makes big decisions regarding student spaces: a café in Lamont, a pub in Loker, space in Hilles and elsewhere. Does the candidate have a vision for these spaces?

With regards to grants, the key is to figure out what criteria a candidate would use to dole out money. The best way to do this is to come up with hypothetical situations: Would you give grant money to a small student group with a good idea, or would you give it to a larger group that many not have as good of a proposal?

Then there are campus-wide events, which can be very hit or miss—last week’s Harvard State Fair was a big success, but last year’s “Havana on the Harbor” river cruise was a total failure. What types of events would the candidate support, and what wouldn’t they support?

Finally, the UC as a whole gives out money to other organizations including House Committees, the First-Year Social Committee, and the Harvard Concert Commission. So, you should ask candidates which of these entities they think should get more money. Would they spend more money to get a better artist at a Harvard concert? If they had a little more money to dole out, which group would they give it to?

In the end, your vote should come down to not just who you like and with whom you are friends, but also whose priorities—for all three of the UC’s committees—align with yours. There may not be an ideal candidate out there, but if you ask a few of the right questions you will be a more informed voter.

Adam M. Guren ’08, a Crimson editorial editor, is an economics concentrator in Eliot House.