Towards a More Active Student Body

University President Lawrence H. Summers may be on his way out, and for Harvard College students, his departure has hardly gone unnoticed.

In recent weeks, as rumors buzzed of Summers’ impending resignation, students perked up their ears. As the storm clouds gathered, many of campus’ more politically vocal students were already airing their opinions, but when Summers officially announced his resignation, there was sharp increase in the volume of discussion among the College’s typically quiet student body. Owing to the obvious gravity of the issue, and perhaps Summers’ celebrity affectation among undergraduates, students wanted to know what was happening and why. They talked to their friends, they e-mailed their House lists, and they hopped online and blogged.

In the fallout of the Summers resignation, it is crucial that students continue to keep afoot of campus happenings. Harvard stands at a critical moment in its history: as the University braces to choose a new leader, and as the Harvard College Curricular Review lies fallow, students should seek an active role in both processes by staying informed on developments and voicing their opinions. And if the past week is any evidence, the student body has largely taken the opportunity to do this, with rapidly flowing blog posts, e-mail list missives, letters to campus newspapers, and grassroots political organization.

The recent student awareness is a refreshing change from the usual political apathy of students, at least when it comes to campus politics. Harvard undergraduates, some of the brightest (and most opinionated) young minds in the world, are, on average, surprisingly uninformed of the goings-on in Mass. Hall and University Hall. Most students float from class to dining halls to sections to dorms, largely unfamiliar with what is happening on their own campus.

When Dean of the Faculty William C. Kirby announced his resignation at the end of January, students hardly took note. Most either felt it didn’t matter, or they asked, “Kirby who?” Never mind the fact that Kirby was spearheading the curricular review, a project whose outcome will likely affect all undergraduates’ course requirements.

The approaching departures of both Kirby and Summers have cast into doubt the curricular review’s future. Finally scheduled for a vote this semester by the Facutly of Arts and Sciences, the prospect of the review’s failing because of departing leaders is distressing. But student involvement could greatly increase its likelihood of passage.

Fortunately, there has been a flurry of student activism focused on reviving debate on the curricular review. An online petition to save the review began to circulate late last week, and the Undergraduate Council rushed to scheduledtoday’s “emergency” student convention to discuss the matter . With a good turnout today and continued pressure on the Faculty thereafter, students will have a chance to have a significant impact on the speed of the review’s approval.

But how, other than attending the occasional meeting, can students inform themselves in the first place? Where can students find out the important details of the arguments—and politics—motivating University and College policies and legislation? Staying informed is relatively easy considering the amount of information available to students. Numerous campus blogs exist online, House and dorm e-mail lists are alive and well, and The Crimson drops in doorboxes most every day. Freshman proctors and residential tutors are often willing to discuss the latest University news and can add a new perspective to students’ discussions. The resources to stay informed at Harvard are abundant. On the issue of the curricular review, University Hall has also reached out to students, distributing a compendium of committee recommendations in dining halls a few weeks ago.

Clearly, knowledge of a particular situation is a prerequisite for delving into debate or advocacy on student needs. Currier House co-Master Joseph Badaracco wrote in an e-mail to The Crimson, “[I]t will be much easier for the College to continue this important effort if students stay active, define their needs, and defend their interests—which can easily be lost among other Faculty concerns.” Student voice in student issues is imperative, but students can be heard only if they involve and inform themselves in a serious way.

If students fail to do this, Harvard will be stuck in a culture of unawareness. If students want change on campus, it is their responsibility to be informed. Although Summers’ resignation turned out to be a welcome impetus for student involvement, it should not take a campus-shaking event to rouse most students. When the Harvard Corporation formally begins its search for a new president, for example, students should demand a role in the search process.

Harvard students owe it to themselves to take a consistent role in campus politics. The University is here to serve its students, after all, and students have the right to demand to be involved. When students take this initiative, this right can be their reality.



Lucy M. Caldwell ’09, a Crimson editorial editor, lives in Wigglesworth Hall.