UC Election Profiles '09: A Green Initiative

CORRECTION APPENDED

The sea of neon green Bowman-Hysen posters hanging all over the Yard on standard posts and countless freshman dorm windows shows that this pair of candidates have mastered the art of being seen and being heard. John F. Bowman ’11 and Eric N. Hysen ’11 have been running incredibly intense campaign.

GETTING ENDORSED, ONE DOOR AT A TIME

The ticket’s equally neon green web site, designed by Punit N. Shah ’12, expresses the success of the candidates’ campaign thus far. Both the Harvard College Democrats and the Harvard Republican Club currently endorse Bowman and Hysen, along with a handful of other organizations including the Alaska Klub.

“We’re both liberal guys. We’re both on the Finance Committee of the UC, and Eric is the [Harvard Dems'] Treasurer right now. The Dems [want] to further public service job opportunities at Harvard and the Republicans are really concerned with ROTC,” said Bowman, “we can work with both and address both issues. I really feel like that’s what makes us the most appealing.”

Although Bowman is the smallest of the candidates running for president, he has strong charisma and charm to make up for his lack of physical stature. He and Hysen have been knocking on the doors of every single freshman dorm room and speaking to whomever will listen about their vision for the Undergraduate Council. Going door to door, Bowman easily convinces a room of freshman men to take a break from Xbox or Facebook to listen to his ideas on a real J-Term for 2011 and beyond, or the importance of simplifying room reservations. It’s even easier to convince a group of freshman girls.

In fact, the team has engineered a system for tackling the Yard. “I usually have a freshman I know from each entryway go with me door to door, so that the environment is more intimate and I have a basic background on each room before I go into it,” said Bowman.

For example, upon entering Holworthy Hall, Bowman was greeted by Christopher A. Devine ’13, who first brought Bowman into his room and introduced him to his roommates. Also a member of the UC, Devine gave Bowman the latest gossip on the events of the entryway.

“It’s good you’re here now Johnny. Another candidate was here earlier, and he comes up to our door and sees our giant Bowman-Hysen sign, and I hear him go ‘No, let’s skip this door.’ It was so awkward,” Devine said. “Come on, let’s go upstairs. I’ll introduce you to some people."

THE MAN ON THE SIDE

Eric also canvases, but is the quieter member of the pair, preferring to let Johnny dance outside the Science Center while he speaks about his passion for change, government, and computer science.

“Although it sounds corny, and I hate sounding corny, I really do believe that the government is for the people and can provide change. I’ve been an active part of the UC all three years that I’ve been at Harvard, and I even rewrote the UC constitution last year, envisioning what the UC could be,” said Hysen. “It used to have two committees. Now it has five. We now have the Student Initiatives Committee, which does things like DAPA and the Harvard-Yale shuttle and the student relations committee.”

Bowman attributes his campaign’s existence to Hysen’s involvement. “I wouldn’t be running for president if I didn’t have Eric Hysen as my vice president. Eric Hysen is the library of knowledge of the UC,“ said Bowman.

Friends confirm the importance of Hysen as a member of the Bowman-Hysen team. "He's the type of guy every team needs— not just willing, but eager to work through all the red tape and invisible barriers and to get the results he wants," said Cosmo Y. Jiang ’11, Hysen’s blockmate.

A CANDIDATE OF CONTRASTS

Bowman maintains a high social profile on campus: he is a member of Crimson Key Society; a resident of the Pforzheimer Belltower, the House’s primary party suite; and a member of the Spee Club. While some may know him from crowded parties or final club escapades, Bowman asserts that his membership in the Spee, an organization defined by its exclusivity,  has no impact on his beliefs and ethics.

Instead, Bowman cites his support for workers’ rights at Harvard through his extensive participation in the Student Labor Action Movement and applies this experience to his campaign’s platform.

"I’m extremely concerned with making our budget cut process more transparent and more opinion-driven,” said Bowman. “I came up with the idea of the Idea Bank. If we don’t have a [UC] president that is the most knowledgeable on budget cuts, then student life will suffer and workers will suffer.”

Bowman’s roommate Tyler G. Hall ’11 summarizes his perspective on the campaign with an anecdote:

“Whether we are throwing 400-plus person parties in the Belltower or protesting layoffs, Johnny knows how to get other people involved and make them feel invited,” Hall says.

“If he runs the UC anything like the parties we've thrown, then you can expect a well-organized, humorously themed, and sweaty year.”

CORRECTION

The Nov. 15 magazine article "UC Election Profiles '09: A Green Initiative" incorrectly stated that the Bowman-Hysen ticket had been endorsed by Chabad at Harvard. In fact, the organization did not endorse any ticket, as it is the policy of Chabad at Harvard to refrain from endorsing political candidates.