HUA Wants To Increase Student Representation on the Ad Board

The Harvard Undergraduate Association is attempting to secure increased student representation on Harvard College’s Administrative Board, HUA officers announced at their first in-person meeting of the year on Sunday evening.

The HUA Academic Team shared that they had met with the Faculty of Arts and Sciences’ Committee of Undergraduate Education to discuss student representation on the Ad Board, which handles student disciplinary issues.

The HUA’s ask comes amid an ongoing FAS review of the college’s disciplinary process, following faculty frustration with the Ad Board’s decision to sanction student protestors involved in last spring’s Harvard Yard encampment.

While the review is conducted by professors and administrators, HUA Academic Team officer Matthew R. Tobin ’27 said the group had talked with Dean of Student Services Michael Burke about including students on the Ad Board.

“We brought a few issues of student interest to their attention, the first being student representation on the Ad Board,” Tobin said. “We met with one of the members of the committee — the Dean of Student Services Michael Burke, who, in his capacity, oversees the Administrative Board — and we have talked with him about the potential benefits of including student representation on the ad board, either in an official or an advisory capacity.”

The Academic Team also shared that they are working with the CUE to improve active learning in the classroom and delay course registration for undergraduates.

“We reminded the CUE of these issues to essentially say that there are many things that affect students’ engagement with their courses and many things the University can do before just asking students or pointing the finger at students,” Tobin said.

The Academic Team also noted their development of a new course advisory report. The proposed report combines student opinions and department suggestions to aid student course decisions.

“That way students can find in one place all the information that they’re going to need for making their selection for courses,” Tobin said.

Beyond academics, the Social Life, Well-Being, and Extracurricular Teams brought forward initiatives for the upcoming semester.

Only one initiative — a spring spa day event proposed by the Well-Being Team — was voted on at the meeting. The HUA voted to allocate $600 for the event, a collaboration with the Center for Wellness and Health Promotion at Harvard University Health Services.

The Social Life Team and Extracurricular Team also shared plans for a Student Organization Closet Program with the Student Organization Center at Hilles on Feb. 25. This program is an expansion of the HUA party closet launched last February.

The closet will be a space for student organizations to rent speakers, LED lights, and other supplies needed to host club events.

With 18 days until Housing Day, the HUA also discussed several initiatives to build student excitement for the yearly tradition.

“A lot of the members of the Social Life Team are first years, and they communicated how they aren't really sure what to expect with Housing Day,” Tsion Daniel ’27 said. “They wanted to have some fun way to commemorate this really monumental tradition at Harvard.”

HUA co-president Jonathan Haileselassie ’26 presented proposals from the First-Year Life Team, including a food truck the night before Housing Day and a House preference survey. The Social Life Team is also planning an Instagram series with Harvard College’s House Committees to inform and excite first-year students about their houses.

“It'll be a cool way for each house to talk about why they're the best house — let freshmen know that they exist because a lot of freshmen don't know the specifics of each house,” Daniel said.

“It'll be a countdown to housing day,” she added.

—Staff writer Nina A. Ejindu can be reached at nina.ejindu@thecrimson.com. Follow her on X @nina_ejindu.