Ivy League student govts. tackle similar issues

Though the structure of student governments at other Ivy League schools often differs from that at Penn, student leaders on many of those campuses say they deal with similar issues and problems. No other Ivy League schools have as many branches of student government as Penn does. Most have only one body of student representatives -- similar to the University's Undergraduate Assembly -- that fulfills the functions of all other branches of student government. Penn's student government is divided into five branches. The UA advocates student concerns to the administration, the Student Activities Council allocates funds to student groups and the Social Planning and Events Committee organizing on-campus concerts such as Spring Fling. Additionally, the Student Committee on Undergraduate Education is involved in academic planning and the Nominations and Elections Committee appoints student representatives to University-wide committees. Student government at Yale, by contrast, is made up of a College Council which is responsible for the social programming that would fall under SPEC at Penn. The council also deals with policy issues and projects similar to those covered by the UA. Brown University's Undergraduate Finance Board -- composed of representatives from different student groups -- performs the duties of SAC at Penn. All of the other Ivies allocate funds through a finance committee that falls under the jurisdiction of the larger body of representatives. The UA's committee structure is common to student governments across the eight Ivy League schools. An analysis of these governments reveals that their effectiveness in dealing with a range of issues varies from school to school. The Princeton Undergraduate Student Government, for example, is able to make more progress on student life issues than academic issues, President and Princeton senior Mike Fischer said. Fischer noted that the body was influential in determining which groups got space in the student center and is currently lobbying for a 24-hour diner. At Penn, the UA handled those same issues. But Fischer said his group was unable to make headway on other issues such as improving academic advising and obtaining self-scheduled exams. "Most administrators accept the need for student involvement in major decisions, but it is easier to get them to act on student life issues than academic ones because they are more protective of their control in the academic area," he explained. The Yale College Council plans events such as the winter ball and spring fling, but began dealing with policy issues relatively recently, according to its president, Yale junior Tyson Belanger. Consequently, Belanger said the council is more effective at planning activities than in other areas. "We are the unwanted children of the University," he said. "The ideals of the University created us, but it is often more practical for the administration to push us aside and neglect us." Harvard Undergraduate Council of Students has the largest number of representatives among Ivy League student governments with 88, according to Student Affairs Committee Chairperson and Harvard sophomore Eric Nelson. "There is internal infighting, but the tools are there to do good things for the students," Nelson said. The Brown Undergraduate Council of Students treasurer Samuel Blackman said his group is "reactionary" and often does a questionable job representing its constituents. "We tend to blow minor issues out of proportion," he said. "Most of the campus doesn't care what we do at all, yet during meetings, something one member complains about can take hours to discuss." Resolutions passed by the Cornell Student Assembly must be signed by University President Hunter Rawlings, according to the assembly's Vice President for Public Relations Heather Mahar, a Cornell sophomore. While Rawlings usually signs resolutions, Mahar said it is more difficult to get the president's approval on controversial issues such as randomized housing. The president is known to advocate such housing against the wishes of many students. Cornell Dean of Students Richard Ford said the school's student government could be more effective if it lobbied individual administrators and faculty members, rather than adopting formal resolutions to submit to Rawlings . "Resolutions tend to oversimplify complex and controversial issues," he said. "Working through informal means could help them through the maze."