It’s HUA election season. Suddenly, everyone and their best friend’s back-home’s mother’s cousin has an opinion on who the next HUA co-presidents should be and what their campaign priorities should be. From free MBTA shuttles and semesterly Hackathons, to promises of stronger community and HUA transparency and accountability, we’ve heard it all. Some of these proposals ring hollow, which is why we’re stepping in — here are the tangible changes we’d actually like to see on campus.

1. Rename FlyBy

Whenever we introduce ourselves as Flyby writers, we’re met with the same response: “You write for… the meal service? Like the to-go lunch thing in Annenberg?” We deeply care about our work here at campus’s most beloved blog, Flyby. The only difference between the illustrious Harvard Crimson’s blog and HUDS’s takeaway meal service is capitalization: Flyby (us) vs. FlyBy (them). Consider this our formal request for a name change. HUDS could consider adopting options like VeriQuick or VeriFly, as one of our reporters has deftly argued.

2. Expand Swipe to House Libraries

The administration has talked a lot about recentering academics, but what about actual steps to make that happen for students? As an upperclassman, I have thoroughly traumatized myself in Cabot and Lamont — I can no longer step into these buildings without being reminded of my Lamonster days and, unfortunately, witnessing far too many sunrises. Widener is never open when I actually want to start working, which leaves me choosing between working in my five-square-foot room and in my house library (shoutout to the beautiful Mather library, but I’ve spent too much time there). There are only so many all-nighters one can pull in the same spot before it stops working as a place to “lock in.” We already have swipe access to every house — why not expand it to the libraries inside them, so students can study anywhere, at any time? Variety is the spice of life, after all.

3. Close the Yard to Tourists on Spring Afternoons

With spring finally arriving, it’s been wonderful to see students out in the Yard — tossing frisbees around, playing spikeball, or just photosynthesizing in the warm sunlight. But this idyllic scene keeps getting disrupted by tourists who edge a little too close, cameras pointed directly at students trying to relax — a total vibe-kill. Closing the Yard on afternoons toward the end of the spring semester and the start of the fall could help protect this space and actually encourage community-building. Alternatively, we could post signs around campus asking tourists to stay ten feet away. We’re open to either.

4. Build a Monorail to Connect Harvard’s Campuses

The existing shuttle system and the M2 shuttle to Longwood provide students and faculty with free transportation between the university’s buildings. However, this system is widely regarded as deficient. Students in the Quad have been frustrated by the inconsistency of campus shuttles and the unreliability of Passio Go!, the app that supposedly provides real-time updates on shuttle locations and times. Establishing a monorail connecting Cambridge, Allston, and Longwood would get students where they need to go faster and on a schedule they could actually count on.

5. More BoardPlus

The amount of BoardPlus given to students hasn’t changed since 2007 — a fact Flyby uncovered last year after a ground-breaking investigation. The 2007 equivalent of $65 is $98 in today’s dollars, adjusted for inflation. This is 150% of our current BoardPlus allotment, which has remained frozen through multiple financial crises and a pandemic. Coffee and sweet treat prices have skyrocketed. Tuition has doubled. Our BoardPlus? Still the same. Just saying…