UC Rep Resigns Post in Protest

Former UC Presidential candidate Charles T. James ’09-’10 announced his resignation from the UC in a scathing e-mail over Leverett House open-list.

“[T]here is an apparent disconnect between the student body’s interests and the UC’s structural approach to advocacy,” he wrote.

James unsuccessfully ran for UC President last semester with Micha H. Y. Wong ’10.

“While I do not question that most of my fellow representatives serve for the same reason as I, I do question the motives of a few,” he wrote.

Current members of the UC, even incoming UC President Andrea R. Flores ’10, agreed with some of his concerns.

Reflecting on James’ criticisms of the UC, Flores said some of those issues were the same reasons she almost didn’t run for the presidency.

Flores confirmed seeing cases where representatives were “not even representing anyone else’s interest but [their] own.”

In an interview, James said that “three-fourths [of UC representatives] have absolutely the right motivation. One-fourth don’t.” That one-fourth, he said, was more fixated on arguing over Robert’s Rules than representing students.

UC members were guilty, he said, of making “idiotic points just so they can hear themselves pontificate.”

In another part of the e-mail, James wrote, “I personally never enjoyed my time on the UC.”

Former UC representative, Jon T. Staff ’10, who served as the chair of the Student Activities Committee echoed James, saying the UC’s political and bureaucratic nature impedes the body’s ability to improve student life.

“The undergraduate council, while well-intentioned, is not a good vehicle for change at the University,” he said. “You can get kicked out of the UC for not attending enough meetings, but you can’t get kicked out of the UC for not doing your job.”

Despite his frustrations with what he saw as a bureaucratic UC, he is optimistic that the incoming UC President Andrea R. Flores ’10 would improve the UC.

“I honestly think Andrea can literally turn the UC in the right direction,” he said.

Five members will be leaving in total. Two of the representatives are graduating, one is leaving for “personal reasons,” and two, including James, are leaving to spend time working on other efforts to improve student life.

Seth A. Pearce ’12, who resigned earlier in the semester, said he left because he wanted to spend more time working directly on issues that he was concerned with but was not dissatisfied with the UC, he said.

“In terms of what the UC’s mission is, it does great work,” he said. “It just wasn’t for me.”

The council members will be replaced in special elections early this semester, according to incoming UC Vice-president Kia J. McLeod ’10.

—Staff writer Eric P. Newcomer can be reached at newcomer@fas.harvard.edu.