UC Debate
My dear readers, I'm pleased to tell you that Cambridge Common will be hosting a three day long discussion, starting this Thursday, on the elections for UC Pres/VP. That discussion will be lead by the candidates themselves, who have been offered space on the front page to share their thoughts and respond to a different question each day. The Haddock/Riley and Grimeland/Hadfield tickets have already accepted our invitation. (UPDATE: All three tickets have accepted)As I noted below, I think that this race offers a unique opportunity to have a broader and more intellectually substantive discussion of the Council's role on campus than has happened in past years, and you the readers should to be a part of it. I would love to hear your thoughts on what three questions you think should be asked each day, so hit the comment button!
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NOTE: Please remember CC's policy on UC Campaign-related comments. Also, remember that publishing a comment on CC, like publishing something in the Crimson, is considered campaigning. If you are affiliated with one of the campaigns or working on their behalf, campaigning is illegal until midnight Monday morning.
posted by andrew golis @ 6:52 PM
6 Comments:
By "three questions a day," do you mean that on each day, each ticket will be asked a different question?
- Ben Milder
Sorry for the lack of clarity. A different question will be asked each day of all three of the tickets. So, I'd love to hear what questions people would want to ask each day.
I'm sure this would be asked anyway, but I would love to hear what the candidates think about large, UC-funded events on campus (vs. supporting student groups' events). I also went to a surprisingly interesting UC debate last year about mental health/stress on campus, and would be interested to hear what this set of candidates had to say about that. Hmm... I have a bunch of other ideas, but I'll let other people comment before continuing.
haha, this is like a dorky version of an xmas wish list. :)
More suggestions:
-How have you worked with the administration in the past to achieve results for the student body?
-What is your biggest accomplishment at Harvard for the student body (on or off UC)?
-What is your greatest achievement on the UC?
-In light of the glitches with the Harvard-Yale shuttles, do you think the UC should be dealing with student services?
-As UC President, you will be the primary advocate for Harvard students. What is your experience with student advocacy?
-Ben Milder
oh! I forgot something in my previous comment: so last year, I know that the South Asian Association supported Ty and Ian partially because they thought they "best understood the needs of a cultural organization." Cultural organizations - in my opinion - play a huge role on campus, in helping many students feel a sense of identity, building community, etc.
At the same time, you have students vying for the hypothetical "Colorblind Students' Association," a la the Crimson op-ed from last year (http://www.thecrimson.com/article.aspx?ref=507199 -- sorry, I don't know how to insert the hyperlink). Such an association would forget about individual differences between students, stop "self-segregation," and generally promote unity in an increasingly diverse student population.
As the UC is supposed to be a unifying voice for students, how do you (i.e., the candidate) think the Council can capture such campus diversity in a unified, cohesive whole? What do you think is a good balance between individual groups and a collective student body? What is the UC's role in creating/maintaining this delicate balance?
Also, re: Ben Milder's suggestions, I think that while they are important, several are much more resume-building and informational, rather than intellectually stimulating. Issues like "What is your greatest achievement on the UC?" will undoubtedtly be revealed in the candidates' own campaigning, and it would just be redundant to have a "debate" about them on Cambridge Common. But of course, that's just my opinion, feel free to disagree.
Do you support the efforts of Tulane Students to apply to transfer at semester? Why or why not? If so, how do you plan to help accomplish that effort?
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