Student Leaders Form New Organization

Leaders of 27 undergraduate activities have formed a union to coordinate leadership and promote action by campus organizations, beginning with a campaign to create a student center.

If successful, the new Harvard Union of Student Officers (HUSO) will create the only comprehensive forum besides the seven-year-old Undergraduate Council for student interests, with the potential to tap additional group resources.

"Student organizations operate in isolation of each other, if not undermining each other," founding member Van L. Truong '89 said yesterday. "That's not good."

Thus far, 40 representatives from major student ethnic, political, service and media organizations have indicated support of HUSO, said Truong, who is the former president of the Phillips Brooks House Association (PBHA).

According to Truong, HUSO's purpose is four-fold: to provide student officers with a forum for communication, to create an officers' support group, to create a mechanism for organizations to exchange news and agendas and to coordinate action on common issues.

Inconsistencies in policy and the "belittling" of student voices led Truong to begin work on HUSO two months ago to help preserve continuity among student groups, he said.

Student Center Priority

In unofficial meetings, HUSO's 10 core members set a priority on recommendations for building a student center on campus.

Those recommendations, appearing in The Crimson, the Independent and thePerspective today, urge the University to build astudent center, managed by students, with officesfor campus organizations.

But the resolution questions theadministration's choice of Memorial Hall for sucha structure. HUSO also strongly recommends thatthe administration consult more students andstudent organizations before moving further.

HUSO member and current PBHA President AnthonyRomano '90 said the Union also aims to publish a"leader's handbook" containing, among otherthings, a calendar of important dates for studentleaders.

"Student leaders will write down theirexperiences and these will be compiled into a bookfor distribution among groups," Romano said.

Romano said he also envisions HUSO creating aprogram similar to one at the University ofPennsylvania, in which student leaders spend threedays on a leadership retreat.

"We are starting a conference in which studentleaders will speak to each other about what we cando," Romano said. "It is my hope that it turnsinto an annual student retreat."

The conference is scheduled tentatively forApril 13.

An Evolving Forum

Romano said that because the organization is soyoung, "the whole purpose is evolving."

HUSO member and former editor of thePerspective Adam R. Cohen '89 said the forum-likenature of the group is key to its success.

"There are a lot of things that, if unknown toan organization, make it hard to survive," saidCohen. "The organizations can learn from eachother and share resources. It also provides abroader representation."

"One goal is shared knowledge and experience,"Romano said. "There is no mechanism to share thatnow."

According to Truong, the organization is "verymuch oriented towards consensus building."

"Everyone has one vote," Truong said. "If thereis a single dissent, HUSO would not release astatement using the group's name."

Truong added that the requirement for consensusrendered the group "very fragile."

Relations With the Council

That fragility, however, clears the way forcooperation with the Under-graduate Council.Council Chair Kenneth E. Lee '89 said the twogroups are working together.

HUSO is "another way to show support for thesame cause," Lee said. "Many of the members arethe same people [members of UC]. Everything isworking in concert." Lee and Frank E. Lockwood '89represent the council in HUSO.

Lee added that the two organizations' effortsto create a student center were "totallycoordinated.