Three ‘Harvard Project’ Submissions Selected as Finalists

The Undergraduate Council’s Student Initiatives Committee has named three finalists from the original 15 proposals submitted to its "Harvard Project" grant initiative.

The Harvard Project, which was first discussed by the Council at a previous general meeting on March 23, aims to reward student initiatives that fulfill the Council’s broader goals of sustainability, inclusivity, and student health. The winning proposal chosen from the three finalists, which were named at the Council's general meeting on Sunday, will receive $3,000 to help with execution of the proposed initiative.

According to Student Initiatives Committee Chair Daniel V. Banks ’17, the three winning proposals include energy-saving drying racks in residential laundry rooms, a pre-orientation program for freshmen from under-resourced high schools, and funding for Renegade, a new student-run arts and advocacy magazine.

The Undergraduate Council introduced this year a new grant initiative called the Harvard Project. By Y. Kit Wu

The pre-orientation program, called the Freshman Enrichment Program, would offer students both upperclassmen and post-graduate mentors, a dinner series, and a discussion network geared toward students matriculating to Harvard from under-resourced high schools.

According to its sponsor, Savannah N. Fritz ’17, the First Generation Student Union and the Office of Admissions and Financial Aid have both made major strides to “catch up to the reality of the student body” by providing ample financial aid and resources to students from less privileged backgrounds. However, Fritz said she feels that Harvard would benefit further from an initiative like the Freshman Enrichment Program.

Princeton and Yale currently have respective six-week-long and five-week-long enrichment programs for incoming freshmen from under-resourced high schools.

Another initiative, called AirDry, aims to encourage campus-wide sustainability by reducing the amount of energy that electric clothing dryers use. Dhruv A. Pillai ’17, who submitted the proposal for the initiative, argued that Harvard’s dryers are “energy sinks.”

Lastly, Jenny A. Gathright ’16 sponsored a proposal seeking funding for Renegade, an advocacy magazine that launched about two weeks ago. Renegade is a venue for student artists and students of color to come together and showcase writing and artwork, said Gathright, a former Crimson editorial writer.

“Through creativity and collaboration, we empower individual voices and minds and place our expression at the center of campus discourse,” she said.

According to the UC’s website, an innovation fair and voting period will be held for the three finalists from Wednesday until Friday.

—Staff writer Jalin P. Cunningham can be reached at jalin.cunningham@thecrimson.com. Follow her on Twitter @JalinCunningham.