Why I’m Resigning From The UC

I was first introduced to the Harvard Undergraduate Council at a Virtual Visitas information session last year. I was an energetic high school senior at the time, ready for a new beginning and eager to get involved in the Harvard community. I had already decided that I would not run for a position and would just attend the session to listen in — I served on student council in high school and thought it was time to explore different activities and aspects of student life. But, as I watched UC members talk about truly important issues, I gained a deep interest in and respect for the organization.

I learned about a UC campaign that raised thousands of dollars for anti-racism initiatives in the wake of George Floyd’s murder. Statements calling for Harvard’s fossil fuel divestment and condemning human rights violations in India. Subsidy programs that make college life a bit more affordable and grants that allow student groups to plan events and bring Harvard together. It seemed to be a highly effective and meaningful vehicle for change; a platform for advocacy and crucial discourse about the student experience. I believed it was student organizing at its best and wanted to be a part of it — that is until I was elected as a representative and attended my first meetings.

I quickly realized that I had been thrusted into an incredibly tense and divided institution with deep cutting political — and personal — history that I knew nothing about. At one of our first meetings, a heated debate over a proposed budget revealed what would define my time on the Council: an intense power struggle between various factions that essentially ruled out any form of collaboration from the start. You could feel it in the room: the stares, the side conversations, the passive aggressive — and sometimes just aggressive — speeches. First-years were looked at only as votes, meant to be won over with promises of power and prestige in exchange for unconditional loyalty. It was a harmful and purely unproductive environment dressed in formalities to appear functional.

I remember walking into a team dinner early on in the term and having to choose between two tables, each occupied by a different clique. I delicately swayed from one to the other, hoping not to get caught up in any drama. That was exactly my approach going into the term: to act as a connector, a facilitator. To try and push the agenda along by encouraging dialogue and communicating across groups. To be on no side but yours. And that was my approach heading into a contentious UC presidential election last semester. I had been told about potential campaign rules violations and started working with a team of Council members to protect the integrity and fairness of the elections process. But, as election day approached, it became clear that election fairness was not the only goal in mind for some around me.

You see, UC politics are a poison — but an addictive one. Every meeting boasts something new to strategize about and fight over. It’s fast-paced and closely watched by the student body. That kind of attention can easily distract from real work if taken the wrong way. Amidst all the Crimson articles and angry Slack messages, it’s easy to lose sight of why the UC exists in the first place: to give students a voice in Harvard’s leadership and a say in its direction. As those around me set their sights less on that truth and more on the presidency, I too felt myself slipping away from you and the values I promised I would hold dear. And that is why I’m resigning: the UC brought out the worst in me. As soon as I started looking at other members of the Council as political opponents instead of fellow students, I knew that I had lost touch with what I care about and had to step away.

The current administration is right: the Undergraduate Council is broken and needs to be reimagined. But the problem isn’t an overly long constitution: it’s the toxic culture that pins students against one another — a culture its leadership has only reinforced with divisive and inflammatory rhetoric. The UC has accomplished so much before and can be something great; the way to fix it is not to point fingers, but to refocus on what matters. To engage all UC members and students in the decision-making process. To knock on doors and set up tables to hear from people around campus. To embrace change and look forward. We, the student body, must show up to Council meetings and participate in the upcoming constitutional referendum, use UC resources and influence to advocate for progress and reclaim it as an open student forum. It can no longer be an exclusive and disconnected club for a select few.

So, while I won’t be casting votes as a representative any longer, you’ll still find me in the Smith Center on Sundays participating in the democratic process and holding those who represent us accountable. Join me.

Owen O. Ebose ’25 is a first-year College student in Greenough Hall.