This attitude is reflected in many of the ticket’s platform points, especially in regard to one of the most hotly-contested issues of this election: accessibility of social spaces for students.
Coe-Odess says he wants to work to make already-existing spaces more accessible for student parties and socializing, citing the Kirkland student lounge and Ticknor Lounge as examples.
“We want to extend the rules that already exist for dorm [room parties] to common spaces,” Coe-Odess says.
Coe-Odess says he and Li also want to create a central area bar where students can congregate. Coe-Odess cites attempts to create theme nights at Tommy Doyle’s and says he plans to meet with the manager of Conga soon.
In addition to tackling social space, Coe-Odess and Li also view invigorating school spirit as an important component of their campaign.
Coe-Odess says he is convinced that more students would go to athletic games if they became a social destination.
“Getting everyone to go is what [makes the games] fun,” he says, pointing to the success of the newly-instated “UC Game of the Week,” a initiative which highlights a sports game, such as the recent women’s volleyball match against Yale, to encourage high turn-out.
“I feel like Harvard has great academics, but I don’t feel like we have a great social life,” Wood says. “Matt is pushing for a more cohesive community on campus.”
Some have criticized the ticket for being too focused on short-term goals.
James P. Biblarz ’14, a UC representative who endorsed the Ebrahim-Cao ticket, says he believes the Council should play a bigger role on campus than just promoting campus community and school spirit.
“We’re the students at the greatest university in the world, and we need a voice for major policy initiatives,” Biblarz said, citing the controversy over the Social Studies scholarship recently named after Martin Peretz and the development of the General Education curriculum as issues in which undergraduates should have a say. “It’s important that [the UC president] has a long-term vision.”
Li argues that while the ticket is more focused on achieving “tangible goals” for students, their platform is not one-dimensional—for example, they also have pledged to work with the College administration on longer-term projects such as House renewal.
REACHING THE VOTERS
Coe-Odess and Li say they decided to run in October, several months after opposing ticket Senan Ebrahim ’12 and Bonnie Cao ’12 started to prepare for the election. Li admits that their late start might have given their ticket some disadvantages, such as a delay in reaching out to students and student groups.
Although the Ebrahim-Cao ticket may have more endorsements—the current count lies at 16 to his ticket’s five, including, according to their website, Pinocchio’s Pizza and Subs—Coe-Odess maintains that his campaign is in “great shape.”
Coe-Odess, who is a member of the Owl Club, says he thinks the platforms he and Li advocate for will appeal to some demographics that typically never vote, such as athletes. He added that his membership in the club will give him the opportunity to work with final clubs to solve the social space crisis, and would give him a perspective that others in the UC might not have.
“I think we’re going to see a large turnout of the Harvard crowd that isn’t usually involved in UC elections,” he says.
Since campaigning started on Monday, Nov. 8, Coe-Odess and Li have stood outside the Science Center every day, blasting music, handing out flyers, engaging students in conversations, and participating in UC debates.
And until voting starts on Monday, they’ll be knocking on doors.