Gillis and Wimberley: We Need a Comprehensive Student Government

My 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’s reform can revolutionize the efficiency and the efficacy of this government body.

The 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.

The 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.

The 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 a nearly half-million dollar grant process, providing student services, or planning important social events.

To fix 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 on his Web site www.briangillisforuc.com/gilliswimberley and see for yourself.

This type of dramatic organizational restructuring that Brian and Morgan are proposing has precedence. The greatest success of current UC President John S. Haddock ’07 was ending the Campus Life Committee (CLC) and laying the groundwork for the College Events Board (CEB) to replace it. The CLC—formerly the third committee of the UC—was ineffective largely because it consisted of representatives who wanted to be advocates instead of event planners. The success of the CEB, which consists of members are not part of the UC and who are elected specifically to plan events, is evident based on the success of events like the Harvard State Fairs, the Ben Folds concert, and the Harvard-Yale pep rally. As a result of structural reform, the UC is no longer responsible for $35,000 Wyclef Jean boondoggles, and students are now treated to successful events that were planned and organized by event planners, not advocates.

The reasoning that led to the demise of the CLC and the birth of the CEB is carried to its logical end in Brian’s plan. A newly proposed grants board would consist of students elected specifically for the purpose of financial administration. A student government services board would consist of those who want to manage basic student needs, such as supporting student groups and the student body. The third member of the overarching Harvard undergraduate student government would be the already thriving CEB, and the fourth member would be our familiar UC—now able to focus on advocating change for students. The activists and advocates on the UC would be left to do what they do best—advocacy—and won’t be responsible for what they have historically done very poorly—planning campus-wide social events, reimbursing checks on time, and providing relevant administrative support to student groups and the student body.

To coordinate each of the four branches, Brian’s plan calls for the creation of an executive committee of the Harvard Undergraduate Student Government, headed by a separately elected chairman. The greatest irony of the current UC presidential election is that two of the candidates should be running for completely different positions. Tom D. Hadfield ’08 is a phenomenal administrator and would be a natural fit for chairman of the overarching Harvard Undergraduate Student Government; Ryan A. Petersen ’08 is a proven advocate for student needs and would be the perfect candidate for the advocacy-focused UC president position outlined in Brian’s model.

With the current inefficiencies in the Undergraduate Council, it is greatly unfortunate that we do not already have such a comprehensive and functioning student government as is outlined in the Brian’s proposal. The “Gillis UC Reform Act” uniquely addresses and solves the UC’s inherent structural problems.

David M. Silvestri ’07 is a comparative study of religion concentrator in Cabot House.

A FEW QUESTIONS FOR BRIAN AND MORGAN
If you could do one thing as UC president what would it be?
Restructure the UC with separate dedicated branches

What is the most important quality you will bring to the office?
A functioning student government to complement the UC

What has been the UC’s greatest recent success?
The creation of the College Events Board and advocacy outside of meetings

What has been the UC’s greatest recent failure?
Some student somewhere is still waiting for their reimbursement check

What is your favorite dining hall food?
Chicken Parmesan