Ebrahim-Cao for UC

Given the complexities involved in running the Undergraduate Council, experience and vision are essential for successfully implementating campaign promises. For this reason, we endorse Senan Ebrahim ’12 and Bonnie Cao ’12 to be the next president and vice president of the UC. We support the breadth and depth of the Ebrahim-Cao platform and believe that their extensive backgrounds on the Council and track records of execution will serve the student body well.

The Ebrahim-Cao approach is grounded in pragmatism. Importantly, both candidates are well versed in the UC system. Ebrahim has been the chair of the important Student Life Committee for three semesters and has sat on the Education Committee; Cao is currently the secretary of the UC and has served on the Student Initiatives Committee and the Student Life Committee. Accordingly, Ebrahim and Cao know how to work within the UC system to effect change. Additionally, the relationships Ebrahim and Cao have forged with various members of the College administration will prove practical for implementing new ideas.

In fact, during their time on the UC, Ebrahim and Cao have had a history of accomplishment and put many programs into motion, and we hope to see similar measures continue. Their combined contributions include attempting reforms for social space, installing the Winternship program, expanding the UC TKTS program, and working with the Finance Committee to improve student events.

The Ebrahim-Cao platform addresses a multitude of issues that are relevant to the student body, and we feel that they have a concrete plan for improving the well-being of Harvard students. First, the Ebrahim-Cao campaign has expressed a desire to make better use of social space on campus—an aspiration that has long been suggested with negligible results. This time, however, there is a significant difference: With Ebrahim-Cao’s definitive plans regarding large venues, off-campus venues, and house spaces, it seems that reform may be implementable. One of the new proposals includes a fund to help organizations afford large venues, which will make holding large events considerably easier. Additionally, the ticket’s plans to free up house spaces such as junior common rooms will make it easier for organizations to hold meetings.

Ebrahim-Cao’s proposals to improve Winter Break are also appealing. The creation of a real “J-Term” has so far proved unsuccessful, and the ticket appears determined to change this. Notably, Ebrahim-Cao has put forth a plan to increase funding for international programs and to expand the Winternships program, leading to easier ways for students to get jobs during the cold months. Although creating a full-blown J-Term right away may be implausible, we hope that Ebrahim-Cao will be able to set the stage for long-term improvement.

Furthermore, we believe Ebrahim-Cao’s stance on the independence of student organizations is admirable. Given the seemingly draconian anti-alcohol rules that plague the College today, we feel their plans to reestablish trust between organizations and University Hall will result in better social opportunities for organization members while also maintaining the rule of law. Working within the system seems to be the best way to bring about compromise, and we feel that mindset is one of the strengths of the Ebrahim-Cao ticket.

Additionally, we approve of the ticket’s acknowledgement of less visible issues on campus. Ebrahim-Cao’s platform’s wide approach addresses many ongoing and often-neglected issues, such as sexual assault, safety, and student group independence. In particular, the UC should consider how to reduce sexual assault on campus; it has a particular advantage because it is student-led and in touch with students’ lives.

Moreover, the Ebrahim-Cao campaign has remained mindful of other problems like shuttle schedules and hot breakfast, which have been part of UC campaigns in the past but were not actually solved. Ebrahim and Cao seem committed to resuming work on issues where former UC presidents and vice presidents have trailed off.

There are myriad issues on campus that need to be addressed, and the UC needs leaders who will champion such causes. Ebrahim-Cao’s pragmatic and thorough approach to implementing much-needed reform has an excellent chance for success.