Word: referendums
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Some opponents to the referendum are concerned that students will not be informed enough to make the decision, while others fear that a vague statement of student sentiment will open the floodgates to referenda on other issues in the future. Students do not understand the cost implications of reducing greenhouse gas emissions, they argue, and besides, they say, Harvard could spend money more effectively on energy research...
...outlining a number of simple ways to achieve these reductions: decreasing energy demand, increasing efficiency in laboratories, and offsetting emissions with renewable energy purchases. Many of these initiatives will pay for themselves in the long run. Although the exact upfront costs are unclear at present, the purpose of the referendum is to send a message to the administration that students care so passionately about climate change that they believe Harvard should commit to reduction even without accurate cost estimates...
...concerns about referenda, it is true that such votes should be resorted to only sparingly and for important issues. We do not want the UC election process to devolve into a proposition-ridden ballot frenzy like in California. Opponents of the referendum argue that this issue is no different from any other campus movement, and, if allowed on the ballot, it would lead down a slippery-slope to countless other referenda...
...real possibility that students could achieve the commitment they are looking for and induce FAS to commit in turn. There are rumblings of discontent within FAS at the prospect of setting an emissions target, but when students speak with one voice it becomes difficult to say no. A referendum is the most effective way to give students a voice. Even if it is an uphill battle, the cause is so critically important that we cannot give...
...operating our campus in an environmentally sustainable way is not only the right thing to do as a citizen and neighbor, it is also an economically sound way to conduct our business.” The longer we wait to make the necessary sustainability adjustments advocated by the upcoming referendum, the more costly our effort will become and the less of an impact it will have. If we cannot expect universities—centers of learning and knowledge—to take charge of this issue, then who will? Students should not just sit by the wayside while Harvard fails...