UC Ticket Drops Out, ‘Drunk Idealism’

Omar A. Musa ’08 and Daniel Ross-Rieder ’08 withdrew from the Undergraduate Council presidential and vice-presidential race yesterday, bringing the number of tickets for this year’s contest down to six.

In a resignation statement released yesterday, the candidates cited the bureaucratic nature of the Undergraduate Council (UC) and their lack of Council experience as the two main reasons for their withdrawal—writing that they had entered the race “drunk with idealism.”

Their resignation leaves Tim R. Hwang ’08 and Alexander S. Wong ’08 as the only remaining ticket without UC experience.

Musa and Ross-Rieder said they will look for alternate routes to enact change at Harvard because the UC has inadequately addressed the “roots of students dissatisfaction.”

“Harvard’s UC was founded to be a student voice in the governance of this College, and both of us are tremendously dissatisfied with how it’s being run,” Ross-Rieder said. “Reducing book costs and keeping Lamont [Library] open more often are worthwhile endeavors...but students are ultimately unhappy because they feel alienated,” he said.

“It is important that the UC funds parties, but that is sort of a myopic solution,” added Musa. “There needs to be a more long-term solution that addresses the fundamental structure of the College.”

The candidates listed the creation of more Harvard-sponsored social space, a new academic calendar, and an increased emphasis on school spirit as potential steps toward creating a better college atmosphere. They topped off the list by suggesting in their statement that “the UC be decided through gladiatorial combat.”

The pair said that it had not ruled out working with the UC.

“If someone wants to advocate for radical change and also has the know-how to do it, we will support him or her,” Ross-Rieder said. “We are happy to work with people who are willing to help enact our vision,” Musa added.

According to Musa and Ross-Rieder, several other tickets, which the two declined to identify, encouraged the pair to drop out of the race and join their campaigns.

“We are going to sit on the sidelines until someone persuades the voters who is going to do the best job against an administration that doesn’t seem to care,” Ross-Rieder said.