Liaison Program Connects Student Organizations to UC

Tara Raghuveer ’14 sat across from her good friend, president of the Hasty Pudding Theatricals James P. Fitzpatrick ’12, tapping her foot on the floor nervously.

Recently elected as an Undergraduate Council representative, Raghuveer, who is also a Crimson magazine writer, had just sent Fitzpatrick her first email on behalf of the UC.

Fitzpatrick, who said he does not think very highly of the UC, blinked at his laptop screen when he received the email.

“Tara, you have got to be kidding me,” he said.

But after reading the email, which introduced Raghuveer as the UC liaison to the Hasty Pudding Theatricals, Fitzpatrick had no sarcastic remark to make.

In accordance with legislation passed in December, the UC has recently assigned each of its representatives to serve as a liaison to about ten student organizations. The initiative intends to give all of the student organizations on campus—more than 400 in total—a point person through whom they can communicate with the UC.

Mather House representative Seth A. Riddley ’12, who spearheaded this initiative, said that the idea was born while he was reaching out to student groups to seek their endorsements for a UC presidential campaign.

“It was great to be able to communicate with the students leading these organizations on a one-to-one basis,” Riddley said. “That’s when I first thought that we should do this normally, not just in the context of a campaign.”

Dunster House representative Delara Z. Alameddine ’14, chair of the UC Student Relations Committee, said that the liaisons will be available to answer groups’ questions about the UC and help organizations apply for funding offered by the Council.

“The most important thing is that they’ll be an advocate for the organization on the UC,” Alameddine said.

Carl Daher ’13, president of the Harvard College Lebanese Club, said that his group, which was recently recognized as an official student organization, has already found the new liaison program helpful.

“As a new student organization on campus, we weren’t very familiar with the great resources that the UC could offer us,” Daher said. “Our UC representative has answered all our questions about grants, publicity, and anything necessary to make our social and cultural events successful.”

UC representatives said that the liaisons will tout programs like UC Rooms and UC Taxis that might help student organizations plan events and other Council offerings like free speaker, projector, and camera rentals.

Reading about these services in Raghuveer’s email, Fitzpatrick found little reason to be skeptical.

“This is actually great,” he said.

—Staff writer Michelle Denise L. Ferreol can be reached at mferreol@college.harvard.edu.