James, Wong Eager To Serve

It was political love at first sight. Undergraduate Council presidential candidate Charles T. James ’10 and his running mate Max H. Y. Wong ’10 met each other only this semester, but within 15 minutes they knew they were going to run for the top two UC posts together.

James is a part-time stand-up comic and government concentrator who hails from Jackson, Miss., which he describes in his light Southern accent as “one of the roughest neighborhoods” in the state. Wong is a lanky, violin-playing philosophy concentrator who says in his British accent that he has traveled to all seven continents.

It is apparent that the two form a political odd couple. Nevertheless, Wong says that the similarity of their agendas makes them a cohesive ticket.

“There was never a fight about who would be the presidential or the vice presidential candidate, about my agenda versus your agenda,” Wong says, indicating this unity.

But it remains to be seen if this spontaneous partnership—made up of two individuals with differing backgrounds and personalities—will succeed at the polls.

‘POLITICAL VIEWS: APATHETIC’

The contrast between James and Wong is most apparent in the discussion of their life stories and political experiences.

James speaks unabashedly about his rough background growing up in the South with his sister and mother, who, disabled from a back injury, provided an annual income of about $10,000.

“It’s an atmosphere that either encourages you to succeed or to get out of the way. The people who live there have it tough. But if you come out of there you have a lot of experiences that will help you in life,” he says in his clear, careful voice.

Wong, on the other hand, has lived in England since he was 10 years old and went to Eton College, a fact that he says he admits “usually really quietly.”

While James has been politically passionate since high school, Wong’s Facebook profile reads, “Political Views: Apathetic.”

At Harvard, James ran for Undergraduate Council representative every year since he was a freshman. He won for the first time this semester as a junior, with what he says was “an overwhelming majority.”

In addition to his UC responsibilities, James maintains that he is incredibly involved. “I can never remember everything I do,” he says.

James’ life story is one that demonstrates a tendency toward carefully planned hard work, and this tone seems to be dominant in his campaign as well. He says he spent most of his Thanksgiving break holed up in his ascetic campaign office, a room with empty bookshelves and a color theme of black, white, and gray.

The austerity of the office reflects the serious attitude with which he approaches his campaign. Without explaining his reasoning, James stipulated that the location of his office remain undisclosed.

One of the few times when James gave a belting laugh—after demonstrating his imitation of a disk jockey’s voice—he abruptly cut off mid-chortle and again became soberingly serious.

When asked why he is running for the presidency, James says that he has always wanted to see the UC election go in a different direction.

“But when you’re expecting someone to stand up and do it, you finally realize, ‘Hold on, I need to stand up,’” he says.

Wong interjects, “This race isn’t about us as people. It’s about what we stand for.”

STRIVING TO SERVE

The big picture of the James-Wong campaign is reflected in their slogan: “Serve.”

James says they are not just talking about the ticket serving the students but that they are also talking about students serving Harvard and the larger community.

“Who is serving?” James asks. “We are serving, but it doesn’t end there. The way the UC should approach change is not by giving the administration a laundry list of things to change. It should foster student-based solutions, mobilize students behind the problem, and then lobby the administration.”

James stresses that students should bring about change themselves instead of waiting for the slow-moving administrative process to run its course.

One of the most important changes James and Wong hope to bring is Administrative Board reform.

“I originally thought of running because I got political feelings about Harvard when I was Ad Boarded for something that I did not do,” Wong says. “The process totally changed my perspective of the University and highlighted a few things that shouldn’t be at Harvard. It’s the reason why I am here now.”

“The Ad Board process dehumanizes,” James says. “We want to have student advisors who can walk a person through the process. The Ad Board is almost a secret society that has the ability to hand down judgments.”

In reference to the Ad Board’s secrecy, Wong added, “We are also talking about how they make their decisions and how they justify them. This is very cryptic. You never get to find out why or how they made the decision they made. That’s the most scary part for people going through the process.”

James and Wong are also targeting issues on a community-wide—and even global—level.

“We are trying to affect not just what happens in the Harvard bubble but also Cambridge, Boston, and the world,” James says.

In so doing, the pair hopes to foster in students a sense of social consciousness and community involvement.

“Our student body has never gotten together to say anything. Remember the ’60s liberal attitude?” Wong asks.

“The 1960s students at Harvard and even Yale rallied around the civil rights movement. If you cultivate that sense of service now, in the future these students will be the leaders. That’s what brought on the social revolution we see today. That’s what the UC has the ability to do,” James adds.

Wong mentions the juxtaposition of Harvard’s prosperity next to the hardships of Cambridge Rindge and Latin School (CRLS).

“[CRLS students] get really discouraged when they walk through Harvard Yard. Here is a rich school which most of them will never attend. They are struggling with their school, and Harvard doesn’t do anything to help out,” Wong says. “We’re pursuing excellence but we’re pursuing it for ourselves.”

James chimes in to agree. “We have the resources and ability to impact the areas around our school and bring a positive face and influence to the University.”

The candidates also say that if elected, they would push for additional green initiatives.

“We’re the only campaign that has a green platform,” says James, who is pursuing a secondary field in Environmental Science and Public Policy. “Harvard needs to set a precedent.”

“As students, we need to teach the administration. Wouldn’t it send a powerful message if we were able to go paperless in five years?” Wong asks.

James says he realizes, however, that bringing about environmental reforms is ”not going to be an overnight process.”

But winning this year’s highly competitive election is not going to be an easy job either. The James-Wong Web site, www.harvardserves.com, does not currently list endorsements from any organization on campus.