Harvard backs out of council of Ivy leaders

One member of a group of student government leaders representing the Ivy League has decided to detach itself from the pack.

The Harvard Undergraduate Council has decided to withdraw from the Ivy Council -- which brings together representatives from all eight school each semester to discuss campus issues such as alcohol policies and co-ed housing.

Harvard has had a tumultuous relationship with the Ivy Council, which usually attracts an average of 10 students from each school.

According to recent Harvard graduate Jason Lurie, Harvard originally withdrew from the Ivy Council in 1992, citing a lack of organization and a lack of focus on student affairs.

Harvard rejoined in 2004 on a temporary basis after Ivy Council representatives convinced Harvard that that it had revamped its focus.

However, after a year of Ivy Council membership, Harvard Undergraduate Council Samita Mannapperuma said, the majority of the UC -- which is similar to Penn's Undergraduate Assembly -- has come to the conclusion that the Ivy Council is a waste of student government dollars.

"I personally was not comfortable standing up to our [UC] and asking for thousands of dollars in funding ... when the merits just weren't that tangible," Mannapperuma said.

Lurie said that Harvard also withdrew because it feels that the Ivy Council concerns itself with political activism, which he said is not a key objective of Harvard's student-life oriented UC.

Lurie added that the Harvard UC sensed lackluster interest in the Ivy Council from other schools, since Yale sent only three delegates to last spring's gathering.

"This is a Mickey-Mouse immature organization and we have to decide how we want to spend our time," Lurie said.

Penn's representatives to the Ivy Council disagree with Lurie's assessment.

"They're unfounded to think it's a political forum," said College senior Phil Gommels, who chairs Penn's Student Activities Council.

And some of Harvard's delegation is of the same mind.

Harvard UC Secretary Matt Greenfield said that Harvard should rejoin the Ivy Council, which he said is a "think-tank for brainstorming."

Greenfield said that since all Ivy Council members constantly aim to improve student activity funding, Harvard can only benefit from learning tips from other schools.

"What has worked and failed in the past are things we couldn't come up with just sitting around in Cambridge, Massachusetts," Greenfield said.

Greenfield said that other Harvard students outside of the UC also express widespread support for the Ivy Council.

He feels their opinions will eventually win out over the dissenters' withdrawal.

"Harvard can't afford to be the grumpy neighbor on the block," he said.

Penn graduate Bryan Chao, who attended last spring's Ivy Council meeting, echoed Greenfield's sentiments, adding that Harvard's delegates should have spoken up if they were dissatisfied.

"If you want to change something, suggest ways to change instead of withdrawing," Chao said.

Eli Hoffman, who acts as the vice chair of Penn's Nominations and Elections Committee as well as the vice president for communications for the Ivy Council, agrees that pooling ideas among schools helps inform student government initiatives.

Last fall, for instance, he said that Penn Ivy Council delegates received innovative advice from Cornell dining administrators on how to improve Penn's dining program.

Despite Harvard's decision, Hoffman said that Penn will stick with the Ivy Council.

"The idea is that each student government ... can share ideas ... to effect change." he said.

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