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The Undergraduate Council voted to pass legislation initiating a student-based campaign to advocate for the creation of a multicultural center at Harvard, as well as legislation to launch a program to disperse water filters to students during a Sunday meeting.
The first act establishes a UC effort which expands on the body’s past advocacy for a multicultural center at Harvard, which in turn built upon five decades of student efforts.
“The student body has been in deep advocacy of a space to convene and appreciate shared identities,” the legislation reads.
The text of the legislation cites other peer institutions that have made similar centers that students met with “great excitement.”
“The power of student voice and testimonial is unmatched in understanding lived experiences,” the act reads.
The new campaign comes one week after the UC passed legislation to create a virtual multicultural center to be used during the coronavirus pandemic.
The campaign would give students the opportunity to share videos, music, art, and poetry indicating why they want a multicultural center at the College, according to the act. The plan for a virtual multicultural center will also be carried out in conjunction with other student organizations.
The legislation was sponsored by UC President Noah A. Harris ’22, Ivy Yard Representative Tarina K. Ahuja ’24, and Adams House Representative Esther J. Xiang ’23. The Council passed it with a motion to adopt by unanimous consent.
The second piece of legislation will distribute charcoal water filters already purchased by the Office of Sustainability to promote the use of reusable water bottles.
“Many students on campus have cited that they avoid using refillable bottle stations due to concerns about the water quality,” reads the legislation.
Per the act, the filters will resolve water quality issues at refilling stations by filtering out specific chemicals of concern from the water supply. Each filter will last for roughly four to six months and can fit into any type of water bottle.
“Students can also bring these filters home for the summer, which would allow students living in areas where water quality is a concern to continue to use their reusable water bottles,” reads the legislation.
The legislation, sponsored by Xiang, passed with a motion to adopt by unanimous consent.
—Staff writer Lucas J. Walsh can be reached at lucas.walsh@thecrimson.com.
—Staff writer Mayesha R. Soshi can be reached at mayesha.soshi@thecrimson.com.
