If elected, Yang and Jackson hope to create a happier campus by increasing attention to student wellness, and to restore student faith in the UC.
Often clad in Wonder Woman costumes, one pair of Undergraduate Council contenders have branded themselves as a heroic alliance.
\r\nPresidential candidate Happy Yang ’16, a seasoned Council representative, and vice presidential hopeful Faith A. Jackson ’16, an outsider, say that their mission as superheroes is not leaping tall buildings in a single bound, but transforming the College’s student government.
\r\nOmnipresent in Yang and Jackson’s bid for the UC’s top leadership positions are the words “happy” and “faith.” Pharrell’s “Happy” has become their campaign theme song. Their slogan “Be Happy, Have Faith,” is a nod not only to their names, but to the ticket’s two broadest goals: If elected, Yang and Jackson hope to create a happier campus by increasing attention to student wellness, and to restore student faith in the UC.
\r\nSpecifically, the two candidates call for more non-gendered and racially inclusive social spaces, increased student input in Harvard’s sexual assault policy, and a focused Undergraduate Council that appeals more to the general student body.
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\r\nHAPPY & FAITH
\r\nEven though the two wear identical Wonder Woman-inspired costumes, their experiences with the UC—and their opinions of it—are distinct.
\r\nTheir differences, the two said, would make their leadership of the UC more effective.
\r\nYang and Jackson first met during the First-Year Urban Program in 2012. Though they have pursued different interests since then, they remained friends and ultimately decided to run together earlier this semester when Yang approached Jackson about the possibility of a campaign.
\r\n“We complement each other very well,” Yang said, citing her own knowledge of the inner workings of the UC, compared to her running mate’s familiarity with UC “outsiders.”
\r\nYang, an economics concentrator in Currier House, was born in China and raised in San Francisco. She has been a member of the UC since her freshman year, serving first as a representative for Elm Yard and now for Currier House. She is also the director of the UC’s Student Faculty Committee.
\r\nAttributing her involvement in student government to her Chinese background, Yang said that “[in China], democracy doesn’t exist. After I came here, I realized how powerful it is to have a voice.”
\r\nIn addition to her commitment to making her voice heard, she also makes a point to listen to others, said William Oh ’18, an Ivy Yard UC representative and the Council’s current parliamentarian, who has worked closely with Yang.
\r\n“She stops and asks ‘How are you?’ and asks about your day,” Oh said. “Listening is such a key characteristic in a leader.”
\r\nJackson—an economics concentrator from Washington, D.C., and a resident of Winthrop House—has dedicated her time at Harvard to student activism as well as the Harvard Mock Trial Association and the Institute of Politics.
\r\nJackson has no prior experience on the UC, which she and her campaign teammates see as a strength in the race, rather than a weakness.
\r\nMoriya Blumenfeld ’16, a core leader of the campaign and Jackson’s blockmate, said, “[Faith is] coming in with a fresh look on what are the things that could be done better, and she’s really acting on executing.”
\r\nKEEPING FAITH IN THE UC
\r\nYang said that what sets the ticket apart from the rest of the candidates is their advocacy for change to the way the Council works for students.
\r\nThe two have said that they plan to reform a body that they think currently does not serve as an appropriate intermediary between the student body and the administration. Specifically, Yang and Jackson plan to create specialized task forces for larger issues so that students have specific points of access to introduce their ideas and opinions.
\r\n“[The] UC has great access and organizing power, and that’s what I really want to uncover,” Jackson said.
\r\nTapping into that potential, Yang said, would make the UC more useful to students.
\r\n“There are so many students out there on our campus who want to make a difference, but a lot of times they don’t see the UC as a channel for change,” she said.
\r\nCampaign manager Irfan Mahmud ’16 echoed this sentiment.
\r\n“You don’t have to work around the UC. You can work with the UC, leverage the UC’s voice with the administration, and then also have student input, student guidance, on issues that are important to the student body,” he said.
\r\nAnd while Yang and Jackson aim to forge a stronger connection between students and the Council, they have said that it is also important that the administration sees the UC as a legitimate institution.
\r\nIf that were to be achieved, Yang and Jackson said they would leverage the UC leadership’s access to administrators to effect the changes that the student body desires. This, they said, is crucial to reestablishing the UC as a channel for student-administration relations.
\r\nBUILDING A HAPPY CAMPUS
\r\nWhile goals for reforming the UC dominate their campaign, Yang and Jackson have also indicated that they also plan to address more fundamental issues of student life. Namely, they have pointed to their hope of increasing student happiness by improving mental health and campus culture.
\r\nNoting that campus social life seems divided along racial and socioeconomic lines, Yang and Jackson said they want to provide inclusive social spaces for students.
\r\n“We all take the same classes, for the most part, but where we go on a Friday night can be a divisive issue,” they wrote in a statement on their campaign website. “There should a place any student can go for parties.”
\r\nJackson said she has met with Dean of the College Rakesh Khurana several times to discuss her idea for non-gendered social spaces, which she said Khurana seemed to support.
\r\nIn addition to advocating for all-inclusive social spaces, Yang and Jackson are campaigning on a plan to provide a multicultural space for minority groups.
\r\nIn campaign materials on their website, the duo criticizes the College for the fact that minority spaces are below ground: the Women’s Center is in the Canaday basement, and the BGLTQ office is in the basement of Boylston Hall. They advocate for a multicultural center in a more prominent location. On their website, they say that students should work with the administration now to secure a space in the Smith Campus Center.
\r\nYang and Jackson also point to the importance of mental health as a determining factor for student happiness. The website says that they will seek to improve campus-wide mental health by creating \xa0nap spaces for Harvard students where they will be able to alleviate stress and sleep deprivation.
\r\nIn addition, their campaign proposes a mental health “Survivor” network, which would pull together organizations such as Harvard Student Mental Health Liaisons and Room 13.
', [Do you support modifying Harvard\'s current sexual assault and misconduct policy to include affirmative consent?
\r\nOur ticket personally supports affirmative consent, as the current wording of Harvard’s Sexual Harassment Policy is far too vague. \xa0It is imperative to get the student body’s opinion on this issue, so we can confirm and present the student body’s opinion. The sexual assault policy exists to protect students; if a majority of students support affirmative consent (as we believe they do), the school is obligated to reform its policy accordingly.
\r\nDo you believe the UC can increase its yearly budget by 50 percent or more by the time you graduate?
\r\nGiven the unsuccessful 250k campaign, instead of trying to get more funds, we are fighting to better manage what the UC already has. By assigning liaisons to each club who will help with the grant application process, we will make it easier for clubs of all sizes, new and old, to understand and apply for grants. \xa0We will also better publicize existing workshops where club treasurers can learn how to apply for grants.
\r\nDo you support allowing the UC to fund alcohol through its general grants?
\r\nIn 2007, the administration took away the UC’s budget because the UC funded alcohol. \xa0While alcohol grants may be an attractive idea, they are not not worth losing our budget. \xa0We are fighting to create vibrant social life on campus in other ways like through an inclusive social space on campus, where anyone can have a great Friday or Saturday night.
\r\nWhat is a major way in which you will differ from Gus and Sietse’s approach to running the Council?
\r\nWe appreciate how Gus and Sietse have improved the image of the UC, but students are tired of the administration setting up task forces and organizing townhalls after decisions have already been made (Stillman, the Q Guide, and the sexual assault policy are all examples of failed policies where students were not consulted), and we will fight to get student input included in the decisionmaking process. The university gets comfortable knowing we will only be in office for one year, so we will enter the presidency with defined goals, feasible asks, and a mindset that simply having meetings is not enough.
\r\nHow often do you think students should have to sign an affirmation of integrity under the College’s new honor code?
\r\nWe believe students should have to sign an affirmation of integrity each semester, as part of the online registration process.
\r\nWould you have supported a referendum question calling on the Council to reform its structures and do away with electing representatives based on houses and yards?
\r\nWe support including a referendum question like that on the ballot, whether or not we think students should vote in favor of it. \xa0The student body should be able to decide how the UC works, and a referendum like this would provide that opportunity. \xa0Faith supported the referendum’s proposed changes, while Happy did not, but we both feel that it is an important question to bring to the student body. \xa0
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