People in the News 1997-1998

The election of Beth A. Stewart '00 as president of the Undergraduate Council last December ruffled plenty of feathers. During her campaign, Stewart promised to depoliticize the council, to shift its focus from abstract debates about foreign policy and the plight of migrant workers to concrete issues like student group funding and cable television. Her approach was a direct refutation of the council's ideological status quo. In striking contrast to her liberal predecessor, the Georgia native is a Republican who interned for House Speaker Newt Gingrich during the summer.

In her campaign, Stewart was unapologetic about her focus on student services. The council's lofty activist goals could not be taken seriously if it failed to provide basic amenities to its constituents, she argued. Harvard's liberals were appalled, and her opponents captured the endorsements of most traditionally progressive organizations.

Stewart edged Jobe G. Danganan '99, her nearest rival and the progressive heir to the council's existing leadership, by a silver-thin margin.

But despite her strikingly different platform, some question whether anything has changed. The council still struggles with a towering credibility problem, as even administrators admit they don't take its voice very seriously.

"I always have the sense that some of our best people aren't in student government," says Dean of Students Archie C. Epps III. "Maybe [the Council is not] the real student government at Harvard."

And low voter turnout in elections--only 23 percent in contested races last fall--hinders council members in grabbing the administration's attention.

Stewart has struggled against this dismissive mentality all semester, with a degree of success. Her administration has de-emphasized the consuming debates about political issues that have traditionally occupied much of the council's time. More important, the Stewart-led council has also achieved several of the quality-of-life goals she promoted in her campaign: in March, the council inaugurated a $15,000 endowment to increase funds for student organizations; bag lunches will be available to upperclass students in Loker Commons starting next fall; and in May, Dean of the Faculty Jeremy R. Knowles announced additional hours of operation at the Malkin Athletic Center, after prodding from the council.

It is too early to pass judgment on Stewart's efforts to legitimize Harvard's student government. The pragmatic initiatives she has shepherded have pleased many supporters, though her approach remains suspect to wary liberals. The question which remains is whether her style will help lead the council to a public mandate at last.