Presidential Power?

Richard E. Neustadt, the founding director of Harvard’s Institute of Politics, was fond of saying that the power of the Presidency is the power of persuasion.

Of course, the late White House adviser meant the U.S. Presidency, but without the trappings of the American executive branch, a standing army, or a multi-billion dollar budget, leadership on the Undergraduate Council perhaps offers at least an equally compelling proof of Neustadt’s thesis.

Persuasiveness was a trait clearly prized by last year’s UC leader Matthew L. Sundquist ’09, a habitual social networker among undergraduates, faculty, and administrators.

But for Andrea R. Flores ’10, who succeeded Sundquist as the UC’s executive last semester, that power appears to have come far less easily—both in University Hall and on the Council.

It’s partly personality.

Sundquist was a social butterfly (Assistant Dean of the College Paul J. McLoughlin once quipped that walking the Yard with him was like accompanying a governor—”he really knows everyone”). Flores is more reserved.

And it’s partly circumstance.

Rather than network with administrators, Flores made it her stated priority to focus on relationships with students. But in a semester defined by planned reductions in College spending on student life, Flores was forced to refocus her attention toward College politics, though perhaps too late.

Flores and her Council found themselves without a seat at the table when decisions were made, generally unable to influence policy until news has already been delivered to the student body’s inboxes.

“On a couple matters, albeit somewhat important ones, the Council has been reactionary,” says Randall S. Sarafa ’09, former UC vice president. “It’s beyond me whether that has been the consequence of the administration or failed communication on the part of the UC—those issues include J-Term and budget cuts.”

Flores readily acknowledges that she was forced to work to affect policy after decisions had already been made on both issues, but cites as the reason what she says is a lack of prioritization of student opinion in decision making.

“It isn’t a choice. I’m only capable of being reactive and not proactive,” she says. “Was I reactive by choice? No. Did it turn out that way? Yes.”

And within the Council, Flores came down on the losing side of the debate on how to create more student social space—perhaps the body’s most high-profile legislative effort of the semester.

Now, with only a semester left in office and $143 million in school budget cuts left to be made, whether Flores will be able to bring her presidential power to bear remains to be seen.

‘THEY’RE THE DECISION MAKERS’

Even before a wave of budget cuts rocked the College last month, the UC’s influence on administrative decisions of critical import to student life was tested when the College announced that it would not offer structured programming during its first J-Term, a three-week period in January separating academic semesters.

The UC, like the rest of the student body, was kept in the dark until after an announcement was made, Flores says.

Though the announcement was made on April 6, the Council waited a week to bring student concern to administrators. At a Town Hall meeting held by Dean of the Faculty of Arts and Sciences Michael D. Smith on April 14 to brief members of the FAS community about looming financial challenges, Council members requested an answer to a prevalent student concern: which students would be allowed to stay on campus during the three-week period in January?

Ten days later, Dean of the College Evelynn M. Hammonds sent a letter to the community announcing a student-faculty committee that would work to nail down J-Term logistics. The UC was able to choose two students—William R. Rose ’11 and Morgan L. Paull ’12—to serve in the group.

On budgetary issues, Flores began to push harder for a seat at the table. At the same April 14 meeting, Flores inquired into the level of involvement the Council would have on budget cuts.

“I was trying very hard to prevent or change how that May 11 announcement happened,” she says, referencing the first round of budget cuts—including possible limits to shuttle service and the elimination of hot breakfast in upperclassman Houses during the week—which many students protested, saying the cuts disproportionately affected student life.

“I raised serious concerns about this first phase of this process, and they know that, but they made the decision and they’re the decision makers and that’s the way it goes and then you react,” Flores says.

In meetings with Hammonds and Smith (Flores estimates that she has had five), Flores and UC Vice President Kia J. McLeod ’10 help the deans understand student concerns, says Paul J. McLoughlin, assistant dean of the College. “As with anybody, they are guessing [what the reaction will be] for an entire student population,” he says.

Their positions afford Flores and McLeod some access to College decision makers, if not decision making, but even that is limited in scope—even more so for decisions of this magnitude.

While community-wide e-mails such as those that detailed the $77 million of budget cuts do not generally come as a surprise to the two, they do not necessarily have strong influence over their content.

“They are consulted,” McLoughlin says.

SOCIAL SPACE UNCERTAINTY

Even on the more level playing field of Council politics, Flores has faltered at times in applying Neustadt’s aphorism.

As some UC members grew disillusioned with an inability to elicit responsiveness from administrators on the issue of social space, they opted to organize their own effort to provide said space to undergraduates.

The debate on the matter came to a head during a May 3 meeting, during which the Council passed legislation authorizing a capital campaign in a down-to-the-wire vote, pitting McLeod against Flores.

Early on in the social space debate, Flores advocated channeling energies through the University’s Committee on Common Spaces as a way to improve options.

But the Council went forward with an alternate plan that skirted the need for administrative interaction: they decided to raise their funds independently in order to purchase property that could be made into a student center.

Flores seemed to struggle to find her voice on the issue, vacillating between being a neutral facilitator and opposing the plan—but on the day the capital campaign prevailed, her face was one of clear disappointment.

Over the course of the summer, four students hired by the UC will devote their energies to the capital campaign.

The Council has made no formal agreement with the owners of any property as of yet, but a 45 Mt. Auburn St. property owned by the Foundation for Civic Leadership has been the only location discussed at UC General meetings or mentioned in legislation.

Though not totally unheard of, it is uncommon for the majority of the Council to vote against the position of the President, and the time-consuming nature of the project means that the issue may well distract from any agenda Flores specifically hopes to pursue next semester.

THE COMING YEAR

Over this past semester, Flores has at times had difficulty cutting a powerful or persuasive figure with administrators as well as with fellow council members.

Flores’ intended focus of the UC’s presidency from administrator and faculty relationships to student ones was countered by the sudden severity of the impact of the financial crisis on College life, forcing her attention toward the former group.

By this point, circumstances, and perhaps administrative attitudes, had conspired against Flores, leaving her in a primarily consultative role.

On the Council, Flores found herself on the losing side of the semester’s most prominent point of contention.

Her struggles as an advocate in the former arena may more reflect the impact of the financial crisis on the University than any shortcomings of leadership.

But with $143 million in cuts still to be made, Flores will need her powers of persuasion more than ever if she hopes to exert any substantial influence during her remaining semester in the presidency.

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