UC Race Opens With Media Push

At 12:01 a.m. yesterday morning, the three tickets vying for the Undergraduate Council’s top spots began their campaigns by blitzing their constituents with fliers and Web sites.

Later that day, exuberant supporters of both UC insider tickets attracted attention by chanting campaign slogans while waving their banners outside the Science Center, the annual marker of the UC Presidential Elections.

According to UC Election Commission rules, yesterday was the first day that candidates could publicly release information about their positions.

George J.J. Hayward ’11 and his running-mate Felix M. Zhang ’11 focused on Hayward’s record in an interview with The Crimson on Sunday.

“One thing we’re going to offer is a very strong record of getting tangible results for students,” said Hayward, who has earned a reputation for his work on Quad-related projects such as the installation of the AT&T service antenna earlier this year.

Both Hayward and Zhang—who also hails from the Quad—agreed that working to return hot breakfast to the Houses, which was cut last May, would be their first priority if elected.

“Hot breakfast and budget cut issues are our number one priority and a priority for any student at Harvard,” Zhang said.

They said that campus safety also needs improvement and that they plan to examine the cuts to the evening van services.

Despite the current budget crisis, Hayward and Zhang said they would ask the College to provide funding for the Harvard University Police Department officers who are required at large parties thrown by student groups.

Their rivals, John F. Bowman ’11 and his vice presidential candidate Eric N. Hysen ’11, kicked off their campaign with a launch party after midnight.

In an interview with the Crimson, Bowman and Hysen said they have extensive background in campus politics.

“We have a strong ticket with experience working on a wide range of issues,” said Hysen, who has been active on the UC since his freshman year.

Bowman has been a leader in protesting campus budget cuts, an issue which is a major focus of his platform.

Bowman said he and Hysen also plan to push for a more transparent and inclusive budget cuts decision-making process.

They said they also hope to advocate for student-led programming for next year’s January Term and will work to bring many Harvard services, such as events calendars and a study guide database, to a centralized online space.

“We plan to really protect Harvard at this moment of crisis, and yet improve Harvard’s student life,” said Bowman.

While there are three tickets in the race, the “Long-Johnson” ticket, comprising Hysen’s friends Robert G.B. Long ’11 and David R. Johnson ’11, seems to be taking the race less seriously.

“[Johnson] and I have both visited the UC Web site at least three times. We went to a town hall once where they advertised food, but it was gone by the time we got there,” said Long, when asked about his experience with student government. “And we have used the same bathroom as Eric Hysen.”

—Staff writer Melody Y. Hu can be reached at melodyhu@fas.harvard.edu.

—Staff writer Eric P. Newcomer can be reached at newcomer@fas.harvard.