UC Tickets Appeal To Freshmen

The three Undergraduate Council presidential tickets proposed improvements to social and academic life during an hour-long debate in Annenberg Hall last night.

The event, moderated by Council Vice President Eric N. Hysen ’11, attracted approximately 50 freshmen.

Matt S. Coe-Odess ’12 and Tengbo Li ’12, one presidential ticket, said that, if elected, they would work to improve school spirit, shift dining hall hours, allow students to shop teaching fellows, and improve social life on campus.

“There are so many students here who want to socialize, but not necessarily want to drink,” Coe-Odess—who is running using only the last name Coe—said, explaining that he would like to see the UC sponsor more alcohol-free parties on campus.

Senan Ebrahim ’12 and Bonnie Cao ’12, the other UC-insider presidential ticket, explained their plan to make contacting College administrators easier for undergraduates, called for travel grants during winter break, and proposed creating a “welcome week” for upperclassmen before the start of the fall term.

Ebrahim-Cao said they believed the UC should better direct funds to students to help improve student life.

Sporting bright pink campaign T-shirts, Collin A. Jones ’12 and Peter D. Davis ’12—who frequently elicited laughter from the audience—talked about their plan to get University President Drew G. Faust to start a Twitter account.

During their remarks, Jones referenced the recent string of alleged robberies on campus, saying, “We don’t just care about student life, we care about students’ lives.”

They said they would not attempt to improve social life because they thought Lamont Café and the freshman mailing room were sufficient social spaces.

The event was organized by the UC freshman representatives, working for the Coe-Li and Ebrahim-Cao tickets.

The main goal of the event was to provide freshmen with an opportunity to learn more about each ticket’s platform, according to Akshay M. Sharma ’14, a UC Representative for Ivy Yard.

James P. Biblarz ’14, a representative for Crimson Yard, working for Ebrahim-Cao, added that even though the freshman class typically has the highest voter turnout rate, many students are often misinformed about elections.

“They don’t know about the method of voting, who the candidates are, what position they take, what the issues are,” he said.

The UC presidential elections will run from 12 p.m. today to 12 p.m. on Thursday. Voting takes place online.