Profile of Darling-Patel

If there's one thing that defines Sterling P. A. Darling '01 as a candidate for the presidency of the Undergraduate Council, it's the long hours--20 a week, by his estimate--that he has spent working on the council.

It's a double-edged sword.

On the one hand, even Darling's detractors say he has a proven track record of getting the job done on council.

"There's no question that Sterling is extremely competent," says council Vice President Kamil E. Redmond '01, who is endorsing Darling's competitors, Fentrice D. Driskell '01 and her running-mate John A. Burton '01.

On the other hand, there is a pervading sense that Darling, who, as council treasurer, is the only candidate who holds a position on the council's executive board, represents an entrenched council leadership that has failed to appeal to the student body at large.

"There's something to be said about having experience, but there's something to be said about coming from the outside," says Hugh P. Liebert '01, explaining why he endorsed Frank X. Leonard '01 over Darling. Liebert is the publisher of the Salient.

Part of the reason that Darling picked running-mate Nehal S. Patel '02 is to defray such criticism.

In Patel's mind, these differences are assets that make them an effective team.

"There's a world of difference between me and Sterling," she said. "I'm hyper, outgoing, social, and he tends to be more serious, hardworking, and introverted."

Patel says that while Darling has worked primarily on council administration during his five semester tenure, she interacts more with the council's constituents as a member of the Campus Life Comittee (CLC).

CLC plans campus-wide events such as Springfest and shuttle buses to the airport over Thanksgiving break.

Darling and Patel's ideas about the council are very much in line politically, Patel says.

"We agree on all the major issues but have different approaches to them," she says.

Darling and his supporters are playing up his experience and hard work on the council as demonstrative of his abilities as an advocate for the student body.

Council President Noah Z. Seton '01, who endorsed Darling at last night's council meeting, sang Darling's praises two months ago, when Darling had yet to declare his intention to run in the nascent campaign.

"[Sterling's] a great treasurer, he's so remarkably proficient at getting things done," Seton said. "He's been inordinately helpful for student groups who need that $400 check."

Darling says he spends an average of 10 hours a week in the council's office in Holworthy Hall basement, working to get student groups the money the council has allotted them in a timely fashion.

Darling's reputation for getting things done extends beyond the council. He is currently the vice president of the National Senior Classical League, a society of Latin and Greek scholars.

Rebecca L. Rabenstein, an Ohio State junior, is the organization's secretary, and spoke glowingly of Darling's work with the organization.

"He was the treasurer of our national organization," she said. "Part of his job was to have a fundraiser, and he sold every single one of the T-shirts we had--and we had a lot of T-shirts."

Darling's hard work and dedication to the council have earned him the endorsement of the council's leadership--out of 10 possible endorsements, Darling now has seven--but he still has obstacles to overcome.

While competitors like Fentrice D. Driskell '01 and John A. Burton '01 have the endorsements of a healthy collection of student groups, Darling has yet to receive a single one.

Patel, in contrast with Darling, says the council is not her most important activity at Harvard. As much as she values being on the council, she says, "It is a small part of who I am."

Darling's experience is in fact often turned against him. Darling, Redmond says, is simply the heir to a conservative legacy on the council--

Darling was Seton's campaign manager when he was a sophomore, and worked for the campaign of former conservative council President Beth A. Stewart '00 when he was a first-year.

Both Redmond, who is a liberal, and Liebert, who is a conservative, predict that the council under Darling will remain much the same as it has been for the past few years. And, with few undergraduates saying the council is relevant to their lives at Harvard, criticisms like Redmond and Liebert's may sting.

"Do we want an Undergraduate Council president, or do we want a student body president?" Redmond asked.