Late on a rainy Sunday night a few weeks ago, Rohit Chopra ’04 trekked out to the Radcliffe Quad, headed for a meeting of Harvard dancers upset about the impending loss of the Rieman Dance Center.

While Chopra is not a dancer, he says he attended the meeting because he had some information that could help the dancers save Rieman.

He had spoken to Dean of the College Harry R. Lewis ’68 about the loss of the center, and he recommended that the dancers get in touch with another dean who would be able to help them.

With connections like these, Chopra and his running mate, Jessica R. Stannard-Friel ’04, have been labeled the “insider” candidates by opponents.

Chopra served as vice-chair of the council’s Student Affairs Committee (SAC) as a first-year and is now its chair. His ticket has garnered the tacit support of current council President Sujean S. Lee ’03.

Opponents say Chopra and Stannard-Friel’s insider status will limit their vision for future council initiatives.

“People are fed up with the UC, and Rohit stands for the traditional UC way of doing things, which has been by and large pretty ineffective,” says rival presidential candidate Hunter A. Maats ’04.

But Chopra says the Rieman story typifies the team’s efforts to move beyond council politics and build connections with student groups.

“It shouldn’t be students’ responsibility to come to us,” he says. “If we win, we’ll continue our campaign of trying to reach students. [Representatives] have a responsibility to serve their constituents.”

Thus far, Chopra’s campaign has also netted endorsements from the First-Year Social Committee, Perspective Magazine, the Radcliffe Union of Students and even the Bisexual, Gay, Lesbian, Transgender and Supporters’ Alliance—an organization that competitor Fred O. Smith ’04 has co-chaired.

Entrenched?

Many observers see Chopra and Stannard-Friel as the insider team due to their extensive work on the council.

Critics complain that they will be beholden to the establishment and lack the fresh perspective needed to make the council effective.

But Chopra and Stannard-Friel claim their experience as an asset.

“Because of the experience we’ve had, we know how to just sit down and do it,” says Stannard-Friel, who is co-chair of the council’s Campus Life Committee. “We’ve already seen the mistakes and know how to avoid them.”