Barro also instituted a grant application process with several deadlines, which would allow groups to secure funds even at the last minute. Another initiative— allowing all applicants an interview in front of a Finance subcommittee—eliminated bias in grant-giving, he says.

“Josh single-handedly did a statistical analysis to show that what was determining how much a student group got was not based on need but [on the committee] who was advocating for them,” said council Finance Committee Vice-Chair Joe R. Oleveri ’04.

Adams also has experience in the realm of council finances—she has generated small profits from airport shuttle programs and obtained corporate sponsorships and donations for Dollar Movie Night, Harvard-Yale t-shirts and Battles of the Bands.

Though Adams says she supports bringing big-name bands to campus, the money may be better spent elsewhere.

The $25,000 needed to move a step above a band like Guster should go to student groups, she says.

34-100: The Platform

The remaining 67 points on the list Barro and Adams drew up this fall are what they say they have in store for Harvard, should they be elected.

One of their many plans for the College is to start an “Issues of the Month” program. Every month, student-led forums would tackle issues such as the 2 a.m. party curfew or lack of study space in the Quad.

Beyond simply corralling large groups of students to complain about the campus without any resolution, Adams says she plans to have relevant administrators on hand to resolve specific problems.

In an attempt to garner the large first-year vote, Adams says the pair hopes to expand the Council’s support of House gyms to the Yard, by pressing for a mini-gym to be added to one of the first-year dorm basements.

“We don’t think first-years should have to walk all the way to the MAC to work out,” Adams says.

In light of the recent sexual and physical assaults in the area, Barro and Adams devoted an entire section on their website to the issue of safety.

They propose the creation of a student liaison to work with the City of Cambridge on such issues as improving lighting on Cambridge Common; the liaison would also attend Licensing Commission meetings to press for Square businesses to stay open later.

“Many businesses, such as Tommy’s House of Pizza, would like to serve students at later hours, but are denied permission by the commission, which hears from neighbors who oppose later hours but not from those who want them: students,” the website says.

Get This Party Started