For ‘Real Action’

The Undergraduate Council presidential campaign of Crystal D. Trejo ’13 and running mate David H.A. LeBoeuf ’13 came together much like many students’ problem sets—at 3 a.m. the morning their paperwork was due.

But rather than signifying the typical student’s procrastination, the candidates say that their down-to-the-wire decision came from a feeling that they had something new and essential to offer the race.

“We realized we had to run to basically get these issues out there to be able to make change,” says LeBoeuf, an inactive Crimson news writer.

With a slogan of “Real Action,” Trejo and LeBoeuf have built their campaign on promises to advocate for better use of social space, increase the accountability and accessibility of the UC and the University administration, and create innovative strategies for student group funding and advertising.

While Trejo and LeBoeuf’s campaign platform echoes many of the same concerns raised by their competition, friends say that the pair’s ability to listen to many perspectives and translate them into action, as well as their experience working with the administration, will set them apart.

THE INSIDER

Coming to the presidential race from different backgrounds, Trejo and LeBoeuf say that their ability to look at problems from different angles will be one of their biggest assets.

Trejo has been on the UC since her freshman year, focusing her efforts on the Council’s push for social space.

Having served as her high school’s student body president and president of the Arizona Association of Student Councils, Trejo says she was drawn to the UC after arriving at Harvard because of her previous experience with student government and her desires to get to know the Harvard community.

Although she served as one of the Quincy House representatives last year, Trejo lost her election after transferring to Winthrop this fall. She has stayed active in the Council and currently serves as the chair of the UC’s Social Programming Task Force, a committee that she helped found.

In addition to the UC, Trejo, a Government concentrator, is involved in groups across campus including the Crimson Key Society, the Institute of Politics liaison program, and Candela Salsa, a Latin dance group. Though she says she plans to cut back on some of her commitments if elected, Trejo has been able to use her other experiences in the presidential race, taking breaks from campaigning outside the Science Center for quick salsa dances with LeBoeuf.

“David’s always been game,” she says with a laugh.

THE ACTIVIST

In contrast to Trejo’s years of UC experience, LeBoeuf joined the UC last spring after transferring from Clark University, where he began his involvement with both student and local government. LeBoeuf, a Social Studies concentrator with a secondary in Spanish, says that his transfer status offers him a new perspective on Harvard life.

“Anyone who says it’s a detraction, I think they really don’t understand the transfer experience and really don’t understand the Harvard experience either,” LeBoeuf says.

LeBoeuf served as treasurer for the student council at Clark University and works for the Initiative for Engaged Citizenship, an organization that works in his hometown of Worcester, Mass. to increase voter participation among recently naturalized refugees.

LeBoeuf says that his outside experience will be an asset in letting him consider methods that may seem atypical for Harvard student leaders.

“He likes to listen to a broad range of viewpoints and take all the facts into consideration before he makes a decision,” says LeBeouf’s roommate Brandon H. Jones ’13.

For Trejo and LeBoeuf, this combination of diverse experiences helps differentiate them from their competitors.

“It brings a good balance that will appeal to a lot of Harvard students,” LeBoeuf says.

SHORT TERM ACTION,

LONG TERM VISION

Though Trejo and LeBoeuf come to the Council with a wide range of experiences, the two share similar visions for the UC’s future.

Trejo and LeBoeuf first worked together last spring on the Social Programming Task Force, and many of their ideas stem from these conversations. The candidates say that their more realistic approach to these issues, with simple, concrete ideas, will appeal to voters.

In addressing the perennial concerns over social space at Harvard, Trejo and LeBoeuf have focused on creating both short-term solutions and longer-term goals.

The two propose opening under-utilized buildings and extending hours of popular spaces such as Ticknor Lounge for student group meetings and social events.

Trejo already has experience working for increased access to available spaces, including planning last year’s school-wide “Lights Out” dance in Annenberg.

“Nothing has been more gratifying to me on the UC than being at those events and seeing tons of Harvard students interacting from all different parts of campus,” she says. “It was great to know that the longest line that weekend wasn’t going to be outside the Owl.”

Trejo and LeBeouf have also named social space as a long-term priority and have proposed changes to the Science Center to open it for student group use.

The ticket has also focused much of their campaign on increasing accountability. They plan to host their first 13 weekly UC meetings in the houses and Annenberg to encourage student participation and input.

To further increase accountability of the UC, the candidates would start an online suggestion box and a tracking system to allow students to see the status of the Council’s initiatives.

“If we’re not publicly being evaluated, we can’t improve,” LeBoeuf says.

Members of the Trejo-LeBoeuf campaign staff have said that the ticket’s combination of feasible short-term measures and long-term vision makes their campaign the most promising.

“Crystal and David really have a vision of what they want Harvard to look like in 5 or 10 years,” says UC Parliamentarian Darragh Nolan ’15, head of freshman outreach for the campaign. “They’re not looking for popularity, they’re looking to change how Harvard actually works.”