The Undergraduate Council passed an act that calls for a weekly list of on-campus events to be sent to interested students at an unusually heated meeting where members had to consult the UC constitution to determine the legitimacy of the voting procedure and one member said that the initial version of the legislation would turn the UC into “mercenaries.”
The Undergraduate Council Vericorps Act, which passed by a vote of 15-10 with three abstentions, will result in the creation of VeriCorps, whose mission will be to assist recognized student organizations with events.
In order to do this, interested members of both the UC and student body may sign up to receive a weekly email that lists student-run events taking place that week. Members of VeriCorps can volunteer to assist in the execution of these events.
“This will have multiple benefits because not only can students try out an event and see if they like a club, but it will provide student organizations with the extra manpower that they need.” Crimson Yard representative Jennifer Q. Y. Zhu ’14, the sponsor of the act, said.
However, the original version of the legislation failed to pass, and several members urged the council to refer the act back to committee for reevaluation and revision. But even the committee to which this legislation would be referred became one of many topics argued during a lengthy debate.
One of the most controversial issues with the original legislation was the required participation of all UC members within VeriCorps. Members complained that they did not want to be “bound” to the organization, saying that they felt they deserved a choice regarding membership.
“I’m not voting against this because I feel that the legislation is dangerous,” Kirkland House representative Brad M. Paraszczak ’11 said. “It’s just that 14 votes in favor of passing when there are about 51 people on the Council clearly shows that we don’t have the voice of people who would be bound by this if it were to pass.”
Others shared concerns with the philosophy of the legislation, arguing that the UC is supposed to advocate for students, not license members out as, in one member’s words, “mercenaries.”
Throughout the debate, Zhu maintained composure amid expressions of exasperation by the members, urging them to keep in mind that this would be a pilot program and a continuous work-in-progress.
“We will be carefully examining the organization and see what we can do to improve it,” Zhu, who is also a Crimson photographer, said. “Think of it as innocent until proven guilty—we will try it out, and if it doesn’t work, we can revoke it.”
After nearly 30 minutes of debate, a final vote was taken and the legislation passed.
“I think legislation like this is what the UC should be doing to try to engage with students,” said UC President Senan Ebrahim ’12. “I’m really optimistic about the success of this and look forward to checking back on it in six to eight months.”
—Staff writer Rachael E. Apfel can be reached at rachaelapfel@college.harvard.edu.
