A Student Center

This semester the Undergraduate Council has begun a coordinated effort to lobby the administration of the University to build a Student Center. The HRUC Student Center Working Group began meeting at the beginning of this semester, and identified those areas of need on campus that could be met by a student center. Among the major needs identified on campus were the structural needs of student groups (office space, meeting space, and other needs), and the dire need for more common social space on campus (lounge areas, pool tables, TV viewing areas and other such spaces). Performing arts space is also in short supply. On a campus where student groups play a primary role in the life of many undergraduates, why do only 27 percent of student groups have office space? On a campus where we have so much to learn from our fellow students, why are there almost no common social spaces where we can meet and interact with our fellow classmates? These needs are clearly felt on campus, and the Undergraduate Council is attempting to make sure that the administration understands the view of the student body on this issue.

The Undergraduate Council has already pledged $25,000 to the University towards the construction of a Student Center as a symbol of how important this issue is to the undergraduate community. And as the semester continues, the UC will continue to press the administration to recognize the need on campus for a student center. In light of the need, and desire, for a Harvard Student Center, the Undergraduate Council has called on the University for the following: make the Student center a priority on the next capital campaign and thereby commit to a timetable for its construction, hire an architect and begin drafting plans, and establish a planning committee with student members. By agreeing to take these steps, the administration will have acknowledged the pressing needs felt on campus and will also have begun the process of returning its focus towards improving the quality of undergraduate life on this campus.