“He is remarkably well informed about the administration of the College and the University; this insight gives him extra leverage,” Gross writes.

Barreling Through

Last spring, Chopra led the council through a whirlwind of legislation on issues ranging from preregistration to parties, but left some on the council feeling left out of the process.

Among other victories, the council secured extended keycard access to Houses and took a vocal and highly visible stand against the administration’s plan to implement preregistration.

The council also successfully negotiated with administrators to host its first event featuring alcohol in over five years.

The council introduced a series of smaller events that brought in hundreds of students, such as movie screenings in the Science Center and student band nights in Loker Commons.

In council meetings, Chopra showed little tolerance for efforts to prolong or delay.

On more than one occasion, he offered a comprehensive “mega-motion” to resolve several concerns at once, bending parliamentary procedure but saving precious minutes.

One of the most polarizing council debates of the semester concerned the allocation of grant monies for student groups. The question pitted members of the council’s Finance Committee (FiCom) against one another. After watching the two opposing sides argue their way to impasse, Chopra offered his own compromise solution, mixing elements of both plans.

“I’ve never been on FiCom, but I think it can work out,” Chopra said, then paused. “I’m sure it can work out.”

From Chopra’s assertiveness may stem a tendency to encroach into others’ areas—and Chopra has occasionally been criticized for micromanagement.

“He cares that the work gets done right and watches to see if you’re getting the job done,” Joshua A. Barro ’05 said.

While council members say Chopra likes to personally shape everything the council does on a daily basis, Chopra also said he’s taken time recently to step back and think of broader issues affecting undergraduates at Harvard.

Mental health awareness, Chopra says, will be one of his priorities as he finishes his term.

The faculty, he says, may risk pushing students too hard by focusing more on academics than extracurriculars.