Word: uc
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...roommate, Brian S. Gillis ’07-’08, constantly talks about the Undergraduate Council (UC) and what needs to be done to fix it. His passion for this stuff is amazing—he is always telling us about his great idea, the Gillis UC Reform Act. Based on both the strengths and shortcomings of the UC that are cited by both UC outsiders and insiders, I strongly believe that the Gillis UC Reform Act that Brian is proposing is uniquely equipped to fix the UC’s problems while preserving its strengths. Brian?...
...problem with the UC as it is currently structured is that it tries to bring together three dozen elected politicians to work as both bureaucrats and administrators. Brian and his running mate Morgan C. Wimberly ’08 are running a campaign simply to highlight the inefficiencies in this hopelessly flawed system during the one time of the year that the school is focused on the various problems with and solutions for our student government—election season...
...current UC has been able to do only one thing well: advocacy. During just the last two years the UC has helped bring us 24-hour access to Lamont Library, increased meal options, universal key card access, and a brand new café in Lamont Library. These were all things we wanted, and the UC secured them by advocating for us. At the same time, however, the UC has proved that it is unable to support student groups, create a functional and useful website, organize a cohesive student events calendar, or even reimburse promised funds within a reasonable time frame...
...reason the UC has struggled with these tasks is because the people who run for the UC are almost exclusively interested in advocating for a better student life. Less than 30 percent of your UC representatives who won first place in their House elections choose to serve on the UC’s finance committee (FiCom). This is the case because the administration of finances and grants is not what motivated most of them to be on the UC—advocacy is. We shouldn’t have hard working advocates where they do not belong—managing...
...these problems, Brian and Morgan propose a new, comprehensive Harvard undergraduate student government that, while not eliminating the UC, will reassign many of its current duties to other separately selected councils and committees. Under this plan, the current UC would be one of four branches of the greater undergraduate student government, and each body would specialize in its own area—advocacy, events, grants, basic services. After talking with Brian, I am convinced separating different tasks will fix the current flaws. But don’t trust me—check out Brian’s extensive explanation...