An Embarrassing Representation

Sitting in Tercentenary Theater on that cold and wet Friday afternoon, watching the historic proceedings of President Drew G. Faust’s installation, I was embarrassed to be a Harvard student. I was ashamed because Undergraduate Council (UC) President Ryan A. Petersen ’08, the purported representative of the Harvard College student body, painted a picture of Harvard College students as immature, fussy children. In his grandiose address on student citizenship, Petersen compared President Faust’s march for civil rights to his own crusade for student rights. He advised her “as one President to another, that change does not come easily to these hallowed grounds.” And he stood firm in his conviction that Harvard students are mistreated, and cried, “This denial of citizenship must end now!”

Not only was Petersen’s mode of communicating this alleged disenfranchisement of students distasteful, but the ideals on which he makes his claims are misguided. Harvard students are truly privileged with some of the greatest opportunities of any students in the world. The sense of entitlement with which Petersen claimed students have been wronged must have made the alumni present at the ceremony truly disturbed. The image portrayed of Harvard students to the many heads of universities who look to Harvard as an example was certainly unfavorable.

Petersen argued that students deserve a greater say in decisions that the University makes, and implied that we are oppressed by the faculty and administration. “I refuse to accept that this is a faculty and administrator’s world,” he said. Harvard students should certainly have a place at the table during the discussion of important decisions, but the final call should always rest with administrators, as does the responsibility of their decisions. The UC does have a voice in decisions made. It passes an innumerable number of resolutions, which state its official position on all types of issues. The deans of the College meet with UC Representatives to discuss issues of importance and concern to students. The dean of the College hosts monthly breakfasts with interested students in order to hear their concerns. With the smallest bit of student initiative, students can e-mail any administrator with their opinion, including the President of the University, as their e-mail addresses are all accessible by members of the Harvard community.

A university is not, and should not be, a democracy. While all members of the community should certainly have the opportunity to have their voices heard, they should not get an equal say in the final decision. The Dean of the College is better fit to make most decisions about university governance than a freshman. Administrators are placed in a position of authority over students for a reason. Although they do not always make the best choices, they are more likely to make better decisions than students in regard to running the University.

There is certainly a place for feedback and criticism of University Hall’s substantive decisions. For example, I disagree with the way that the Reserve Officer Training Corps has been thrown off campus without respect for the individuals who make the honorable sacrifice to serve and protect us all in the military. However, I made these complaints to President Faust at a meeting she had with the Undergraduate Council last spring, which was open to all undergraduates at Harvard, and not during her installation ceremony.

Although Petersen appears to think that the College deciding not to buy alcohol for underage students amounts to oppression and denial of citizenship, this minor issue is not worth the disrespectful image of Harvard students that was projected during the ceremony. Even worse, all of the Harvard alumni and representatives from other universities have no background in the disagreements between University Hall and the UC, and were thrown in the middle of an argument over a minor issue that does not display the students here in the best light. Our student representatives should learn that moaning about denial of citizenship during an event meant to honor President Faust at what is arguably the most privileged university in the world is unbecoming.

While we should all work for a better Harvard, we should do so with respect for those who have brought us this far. Stop complaining about “limitations imposed from above” and start working cooperatively with the university to improve student life. Petersen’s speech at President Faust’s installation was an instance of using the wrong methods at the wrong place during the wrong time.

Caleb L. Weatherl ’10 is an economics concentrator in Currier House.