Harvard Undergraduate Association Introduces Social Transition Fund, Unveils Election Commission

Convening for its general meeting Saturday, the Harvard Undergraduate Association allocated money for a gender-affirming transition fund and unveiled its newly appointed election commission.

The meeting also saw the appointment of several new team members and representatives, including a director of visual communications, director of grants, and finance administrator.

During the meeting, Brit G. Shrader ’23 presented plans for an HUA-sponsored “Social Transition Fund.”

Starting as early as October, the project would provide grants to subsidize gender identity-affirming products to students who face financial barriers in their social transition.

The since-dissolved Undergraduate Council previously offered a similar fund, which distributed over $6,000 last year, per Shrader’s presentation.

According to Shrader, the simple and anonymous application process of the UC’s analogous program instilled a sense of comfort in those applying.

“We want to prioritize limited bureaucracy, simplicity and privacy above all,” Shrader said Saturday.

HUA leaders also revealed a list of students appointed to the Election Commission at the meeting. The HUA executive board assembled the commission after the Association was forced to nullify their first referendum vote last month because they had not yet appointed the body.

The following students will serve in the commission: Marcella R. Ruppert-Gómez ’23, Thomas O'Neil ’23, Adreanna E. Dillen ’25, Victoria T. Li ’25, Ekene "Ek" Chukwueke ’25, Anna Mikhaylyants ’26, and Vincent Gao ’26. Ruppert-Gomez will serve as the chair.

The commission will facilitate the HUA’s spring officer elections and would oversee any non-constitutional referendums that take place before then.

Eunice S. “Euny” Chon ’25, the HUA’s newly appointed Director of Visual Communications, also spoke at the meeting to review the Association’s strategies for effective social media outreach.

Two new Finance Team positions — director of grants and finance administrator — were also introduced and assigned to Corbin C. Lubiansky ’24 and Salvatore Valentino ’25, respectively.

—Staff writer J. Sellers Hill can be reached at sellers.hill@thecrimson.com. Follow him on Twitter @SellersHill.

—Staff writer Mert Geyiktepe can be reached at mert.geyiktepe@thecrimson.com.