UC Passes Resolution To Provide for Increased Financial Aid Provisions

New financial aid provisions for summer internships and plans for an upcoming University-wide public service event dominated the focus of Undergraduate Council representatives during last night’s 20-minute meeting—the penultimate general assemblage of the UC for the year.

The new legislation encourages the Office of Financial Aid to waive the summer contribution requirement of financial aid students wishing to intern for public service organizations.

“We’re addressing the culture that we’re noticing at Harvard where the only things you can do after you graduate are i-banking and consulting,” said Representative Benjamin P. Schwartz ’10, who presented the legislation along with Institute of Politics President Elizabeth M. Grosso ’08.

Schwartz noted later in an interview that students whose financial aid packages require them to contribute a certain amount of summer earnings to their tuition payments often do not apply to public service internships—particularly political ones—because they usually don’t offer salaries.

Grosso said that she had begun thinking about the need to better facilitate certain summer internships two years ago.

“We hear time and time again people pursuing those [consulting and i-banking] jobs because there is a very defined path for getting them, and in politics and public service it has always been more difficult than that,” she said after yesterday’s meeting, adding that she thought internships are “uniquely important” for things like political hiring.

Schwartz said that he hoped that the legislation, which passed unanimously, would lead to changes by next summer.

Before the docket was addressed yesterday, UC Vice-President Matthew L. Sundquist ’09 announced a University-wide “Day of Service” to be held in September that will bring together College and University participants from several student groups and graduate schools to spend a day on service projects.

Organizations including the Charles River Clean-Up, the Harvard Square Homeless Shelter, and Habitat for Humanity will collaborate on project.

“I think [the Service Day] plugs people in who otherwise might not be involved and also allows people to get a taste of community service opportunities in the greater Boston area,” Sundquist said of the event.

UC President Ryan A. Petersen ’08 opened the proceedings yesterday with a reference to the e-mail that Interim President Derek C. Bok sent to undergraduates this week in which he pledged to solicit opinions on the prospect of changing the calendar.

“Many of you saw Derek Bok’s e-mail,” Petersen said. “Congratulations. I think it would not have happened without the Undergraduate Council pushing on him.”

—Staff writer Christian B. Flow can be reached at cflow@fas.harvard.edu.