Get Us Out of Here!

In a week, hundreds of Harvard students will depart Cambridge for locales far and wide during spring recess. Some will fly to the sunny Caribbean while others head for home or hop across the pond to Europe. But regardless of where they’re going, students may benefit from the Undergraduate Council’s recent decision to subsidize a new student venture, Get Out of Cambridge.

The start-up, founded by two Harvard students, offers discounted prices on airfares and taxis to and from Logan Airport and has also promised to bring a ride-sharing feature to campus. The site’s owners claim that they “will continue to expand our product and service offerings until GetOutOfCambridge.com serves as the one-stop shop for traveling students.” This is a worthy goal, even if the organization is a for-profit enterprise. The new website is especially useful for students, who usually travel with strict budget constraints.

But the UC’s decision to fund this promising business has been met with considerable controversy. Some UC members have voiced opposition to the idea of the council funding for-profit businesses; others have objected that the recent grant is not part of the council’s mandate to improve student life at Harvard. These objections, while well intentioned, are undermined by the simple fact that Get Out of Cambridge provides a much-needed service that has heretofore not existed on campus and therefore deserves support from the larger undergraduate community. Additionally, since the UC was given a stake in the business in return for its support, it may actually recoup its original investment, allowing it to give more grants to other student groups.

In general, we encourage the UC to explore nontraditional methods of helping students achieve their goals, no matter the situation. In particular, funding student businesses may help to fill the gaps left by College administrators and other student organizations, which may not be able to account for all the needs of the student body.

Of course, there are always risks involved in funding for-profit firms. The UC should be cautious when funding a student business and ensure that these enterprises will provide a clear benefit to all Harvard students. We urge the council to carefully scrutinize any and all applications from student-run businesses and make sure that the grants provided by the UC will benefit all students equally. Nevertheless, we are confident that, in the case of Get Out of Cambridge, the UC has made the right decision.