UC Passes Legislation to Fund Creation of Online Class Study Guide

The Undergraduate Council passed legislation last night allocating $600 to hire a web developer to create an online study guide library, pending approval of Harvard administrators.

Student representatives voiced concerns about the ethical implications of creating and advocating a study guide library for the entire undergraduate community as well as the potential response of professors and deans to the initiative, and the UC subsequently passed two amendments to address these issues.

The first amendment clarified that this legislation did not yet endorse the library’s launch but instead permitted the disbursement of funds for development of the site. A later vote will be taken to authorize the site’s implementation.

The second amendment stipulated that the money will not be spent until UC President Johnny F. Bowman ’11 and Vice President Eric N. Hysen ’11 gain approval from College deans for the project.

Though the amended resolution passed with 23 votes in favor and 6 opposed, students questioned the merits of the study guide library project.

“We haven’t thought about this enough—there are so many questions here,” said Harry T. Rimalower ’10, an Adams House representative. “It really does skirt academic integrity. Yes, lots of people have access to these study guides, but that doesn’t make it right.”

But Hysen maintained the idea will be popular and beneficial to students.

“Johnny and I knocked on hundreds of doors during the campaign and told this idea to every single person,” Hysen said. “I didn’t hear a single person say, ‘I don’t want a study guide library.’”

In addition to discussing the study guide library, the UC approved plans to circulate a preliminary report to administrators detailing the effects of cuts to hot breakfast on upperclassmen.

The report—which consolidates the responses of 769 students from the UC’s campus-wide survey—will guide discussions at the next Committee on Student Life meeting on March 4, Hysen said.

According to the survey findings, the budget cuts have negatively impacted the wellbeing of a significant number of students, leaving them with nutritionally deficient breakfast options.

In particular, insufficient protein sources have disproportionately affected athletes and those with unique dietary needs, such as vegetarians, diabetics, and lactose-intolerant students.

In response to these concerns, the UC report proposed several “approximately budget neutral suggestions” such as serving hot eggs, installing omelet makers, and serving hot breakfast on a weekday instead of Saturdays.

The report also proposed closing two of the quad houses at lunch in exchange for offering hot breakfast at one river house and one quad house each day.

Student Life Committee Chair Senan Ebrahim ’12 stressed these are only “floating” ideas and that the student body and labor representatives will be polled to formalize proposals.

“This is by no means our final recommendation on what [the UC] will do but we’ve never even had the opportunity to sit down and talk with the administration directly on this issue,” Senan said in an interview yesterday. “Just to get that voice on their desk, in their face—this legislation represents that phase.”

—Staff writer Janie M. Tankard can be reached at jtankard@fas.harvard.edu. —Staff writer Julie M. Zauzmer can be reached at jzauzmer@college.harvard.edu.