Groups Back Council Candidates

Following the lead of student groups that have taken to endorsing candidates in the Undergraduate Council elections over the last few years, several campus political groups are supporting candidates running for representative positions this fall.

The Harvard Republican Club (HRC), which has encouraged conservatives to run for positions in the council in the past, began the trend Sunday by distributing a list of candidates through its e-mail list.

The e-mail circulated by the Republican Club said the council “needs conservative voices and representation,” and listed endorsed candidates picked by the HRC board.

HRC President Brian C. Grech ’03 said they felt it was important to educate voters candidates different stances on issues such as Reserve Officers Training Corps (ROTC) and to scrutinize the council’s grant distribution.

“I think the UC has been very hesitant to favor one political group over another, even when it’s merited,” he said.

Grech said that although the council has been “very generous” with the HRC, grants for the Republicans and the Harvard College Democrats have been similar in previous years, despite Republicans’ greater activity.

The Republicans’ efforts did not go unnoticed by campus liberal groups.

Several members of the Harvard Progressive Alliance (HPA), an unofficial group of Harvard liberals, reacted to the Republicans’ endorsements by compiling a ranking of council candidates based on past votes and participation in progressive groups. The rankings did not include specific endorsements.

The list was sent to Progressive Alliance members, which include members of the Harvard College Democrats (HCD).

The Progressive Alliance data—compiled by Lizz S. Thrall ’05—was picked up by the Democrats, who compiled their own list of candidates and distributed it to members via e-mail late Monday night.

While the Democrats’ list supported specific candidates, it stopped short of using the word endorsement.

Harvard College Democrats President Sonia H. Kastner ’03 could not be reached for comment last night.

Thrall said the rankings were generated to help students make informed decisions and that the Progressive Alliance felt the Republicans should not be the only ones speaking out about the upcoming council election.

“We were just doing a little research for people,” she said. “We want the UC to be representative of the Harvard student body.”

Meanwhile, some candidates were surprised by the endorsements.

Thomas J. Mucha ’03, who is running for a representative position in Winthrop House, was endorsed by the HRC but said the groups’s support was unexpected.

“I don’t see how any sort of viewpoint on national politics or politics in general will have any place on the UC,” he said.

The Bisexual, Gay, Lesbian, Transgendered, Supporters’ Alliance (BGLTSA), which has endorsed candidates in the council presidential race in previous years, also got in touch with its membership about the upcoming elections.

Fred O. Smith ’04, a former BGLTSA co-chair, sent an e-mail to the group’s members yesterday listing how members of last year’s council voted on the controversial ROTC bill. The bill urged the University to make it easier for students in ROTC to count their Harvard courses for credit towards military studies.

“[Position on the ROTC bill] can be an indication of a larger set of values,” said Smith, who is also currently running for a UC representative position from Leverett House.