Even in those discussions, however, Ocasio rose to meet the more demanding criteria of a new leader for minority concerns.
"I found him very tough, very smart, and very sensitive to the complexity of what was going on," says Pforzheimer UniversityProfessor Sidney Verba '53. Verba, at 57 one ofthe most respected of Harvard's 300-plus seniorfaculty, chaired the blue-ribbon committee thatreviewed faculty hiring after the MSA--made up ofOcasio and leaders of four other undergraduateminority groups--attacked Faculty of Arts andSciences affirmative action policy for "confusion"and "complacency."
In the months of talks between student leadersand the Verba Committee before a report was issuedin March, "We got along quite well," Verbarecollects. The professor, who also directs theUniversity Library, says he respected Ocasio'scompetence as MSA spokesperson in presentingissues and demands to FAS.
Hilda Hernandez-Gravelle also acknowledgesOcasio's intensity, which she saw as Collegeassistant dean for race relations and minorityaffairs.
"One of the things that makes Wendell effectiveis that he believes very strongly in minorityfaculty hiring and he's shown dedication andcommitment on the issue," she says.
Grasp on Issues and Goals
According to friends and fellow MSA members,Ocasio's success is due in large part to anintuitive ability to strike a balance betweenwidely opposing viewpoints.
"He's got a good grasp of the issues," says MSAco-member Manuel Lopez Jr. '89, of RAZA. "He knowsthe problems that the administration has withminority issues," and adjusts strategiesaccordingly.
"He's very direct and very good about keepingthe pressure there [on administrators, so] it'svery hard for the administration to avoid orignore us at times," says Edith Ramirez '89, alsoof MSA.
Ocasio explains using his own experience, "Wehad our problems in high school too, and so whiledealing with the administration there it taught mehow to be strong and yet be reasonable at the sametime."
As a teenager, he says, he learnedinstinctively when to concede and when to standhis ground. The experience paid off for himrecently, he says, while arguing for changes inhiring policy.
"Because the numbers are so low Harvard has toestablish a policy," Ocasio says, giving anelemental example. "But I know that Harvard mightfeel undue pressure because the quotas or numericgoals might sacrifice the quality and I know thatif I take such a hard line that they might nottake me seriously. So I might suggest somethingelse."
'If He's Involved, He's Passionate AboutIt'
Ocasio explains the reason for his activitysimply. "Beyond the fact that I am Puerto Rican,which I am very proud of, Harvard is very muchused as a model. [Hiring reform] will help otherschools in their struggle by saying, 'Look,Harvard has a strong affirmative action program.'"
"To the outside world he is able to present astrong leadership image," says Irene Shih '90.Shih, another MSA member and Ocasio's closefriend, says his speeches are typified by theirpassion, a sense Ocasio brings to all his work.
"If he's involved in something, he's passionateabout it," Shih says. "There'll be times whenhe'll be working on some math problem and he'llstop and say how beautiful it is and how amazed heis by it."
Hsia also has his own image of Ocasio, againstemming from a late-night conversation, he says."We spent a whole night working out thedominance-hierarchy of Bugs Bunny and all hisfriends," Hsia recalls, not without warmth."Wendell loves Bugs Bunny.