Leading Candidates Give Sundquist Mixed Reviews

As the term of UC President Matthew L. Sundquist ’09 comes to a close, leading UC presidential candidates say they disagree about his legacy, and how the next president should follow him.

Many UC representatives say that, as president, Sundquist has repaired the UC’s relationship with the administration, which had been damaged by last year’s intense conflict over party grants.

Presidential candidate and Student Affairs Committee vice-chair Benjamin P. Schwartz ’10 lauded Sundquist for his advocacy, willingness to work with others on the UC, and outreach to students.

Rival presidential candidate and Finance Committee Chair Andrea R. Flores ’10 criticized what she called his close but unproductive relationships with administrators, failure to share responsibility, and inattention to student opinion.

Schwartz consistently praised Sundquist, whom he considers a friend and with whom he has co-sponsored legislation.

“Matt has been the main student advocate,” he said. He added that Sundquist has empowered other UC representatives, and that for students as a whole he “has definitely been the most visible UC president in remembered history.”

Administrators who have worked with Sundquist emphasized their close relationship as a reason for his success over the past year.

“If you have a sincere interest in working closely [with administrators], you’ll be successful,” Assistant Dean Paul J. McLoughlin II said.

“I know that’s always a very big selling point when a UC ticket can talk about experience with administrators and student advocacy.”

Flores acknowledged Sundquist’s success with deans.

“On the administrative level, he has shown that the UC is something to be trusted again,” she said.

But she added that Sundquist’s friendly relationships are not producing results because he is out of touch with the undergraduate body.

“He’s not gauging student opinion on the issues he’s working on,” she said.

In addition to students, Flores said that Sundquist has not included other UC representatives. “Because he’s been so good at working on his own, he hasn’t been good at working with others,” she said.

“After his first semester as president, we had the highest drop-out rate I’ve ever seen,” Flores added, referring to the high turnover rate among UC representatives.

The candidates also disagreed on what credentials were needed for someone looking to take over for Sundquist’s close ties to administrators.

As he has throughout the election season, Schwartz emphasized his advocacy experience as a member of the UC’s student affairs wing.

“We need someone else who has also been an advocate for students to continue to build upon what Matt’s done,” he said.

As the UC prepares for a report on the Administrative Board and the Dowling report on student governance someone from SAC would have an advantage as president, Schwartz said.

Flores, who has spent over two years on the finance side of the UC, said that she, too, has experience with advocacy.

She has worked on calendar reform and social space.

Flores said she has met with administrators about her platform.

But she downplayed the difficulty of making connections with administrators.

“Building relationships won’t take a semester,” she said. “I’ll be very active with making sure administrators understand students’ agenda.”

—Staff writer Alex M. McLeese can be reached at amcleese@fas.harvard.edu.

CORRECTION

A previous version of this story carried a headline, "Sundquist Leaves With Mixed Legacy," that did not reflect the article's true intent—determining what two of the leading candidates thought about Sundquist's tenure, rather than systematically examining his time in office.