Let's struggle for the democratization of Harvard through pushing for the launch of Initiatives:
the Harvard College Student Leadership Slack as a hub for cross-promotion, coffee chats with mentors, and collaborations a virtual Multicultural Center modelled after MIT’s Experiential Learning Office on gather.town Daniella club treasurer list Games and whatnot Center for Social Impact First Year Social Space Task Force (FYE) Multicultural Space Task Force (Harvard Foundation)
UC email list for student leaders intercollegiate call to public service a mission-forward national with the AAAS Letter to Bacow making authentic choices Pressure to make money huge pay gap FGLI inequity Book program Public service travel grant MEPS Mindich fellowship CPIC Chan-Stride More pilots Education Policy Committee FGLI in education “Hidden curriculum” withdraw, P/F, drop Prepare students as they go along FG/LI faculty mentorship Peer mentorship (PRIMUS) models in public service Social impact week success project persist in their intended approach UC awards unsponsored: for the most helpful alumni, club, community organizer ALC - Michael sponsored: graduating senior best committee design drop, like a community tree, letter exchange, and/or resource + advice hub. talk to Yousuf new page/post UC faculty advisory board Anant HGSE + Gov + SICI by committee or caucus Claybaugh ALC chair intercollegiate student government coalition find advisors for public service clubs a student connectedness hackathon inspired by MIT student connectivity hackathon
improving the consolidated events calendar Pallas Surviving Harvard Mental Health research, engagement, and advocacy campaign following up on two horrible facts: Harvard still had the highest number of reported campus rapes of any college in Massachusetts in 2014. https://www.thecrimson.com/article/2016/6/9/harvard-clery-stats-mass/ In 2012, the Crimson found the Harvard undergrad suicide rate was quadruple the national average (https://www.thecrimson.com/article/2012/12/10/suicide-harvard-mental-health/) Alternative resources
Creative solutions Headspace Cambridge Health Alliance Anon text message line Room 13 1:1 Training advisors + tutors mental health house or yard-based Active Minds Our Harvard Sanika Phoebe Suh partner with the Harvard Discord Firesides (invite a speaker) Town halls (official discussions) Interest lounge (pop-up discussions) Opportunity pings
An Online Intercollegiate Community The internet has become the refuge, home, and system for the world. Due to the pandemic, student life has been forced online and it is essential to maximize the effectiveness of this powerful tool. Accordingly, I am proposing an online community to provide a platform for students from any university, location, and walk of life to collaborate and chat about anything from, data science (coronavirus predictions!) to online student activism (climate change!) to educational advocacy (reducing tuition!) to events (TEDxTwitch!). Let’s make a place where students can socially distance. Plan Strategy: Marketing: Use college mailing lists, established servers, Facebook posts, public online events, and fundraising to advertising the server and its resource Scope: Anyone should be able to join the server, with a focus on college students. Reach out to experts to develop structure and design Branding: Logo, Initial Instagram posts, Recruiting message Channels: events, starboard, lounge, politics, self, memes, advice, suggestions, QOTD, confessions, wholesome, bot-commands... Rules: no agendas, wholesome community, strict moderation Roles: Marketing, Events, Admin Get traction Website Mission statement/Vision Example organizations to ask for Sponsorship: Interest-based: AIESEC, SAE, NAIA College Access & Support: Hercampus and others Community service: Key Club, Interact Romantic: Ok Zoomer, Datamatch, Bumble Educational: KhanAcademy, Brilliant, Canvas, YouTube creators Founders of Yik Yak, Kik, Marco Polo Social media apps: Snapchat, TikTok, etc Fundraising and Finances (optional) for events Discord Advertising Event fees YouTube videos Minecraft server My cloud credits (>$100k) Donations Events: Talks TEDxTwitch Panels - Experts and leaders Town Hall discussions and conversations Presentations First-year Fridays Open Webinar Calendar Exchange programs Q&A Panels Outreach to foreign colleges Collaborate with online space platforms, like Reddit, VR chat, Roblox, Minecraft, Second Life, etc. Resources Training on all the online academic advising resources available Harvard Engage Office of Arts, Harvardwood, No Label, and other resources to create a robust pre-professional program in the arts Match students with alumni in their professional fields of interest to supplement on-campus advising. Healthcare Guides (e.g. the 8 dimensions of the wellbeing framework) Polls/Voting Youth Coronavirus Media Coalition Long-term engagements CVT Projects Educational Charity Coalition Tutoring services Book club Art session Policies: leave of Absence student support assigned advising office automated remote check-in reminders for everybody else allowing them to be a part of mental health and public service organizations dramatically increased mental health funding more UC funding transparency actually sending out anonymous suggestion page
signing on to social justice petitions Divestment Renew the Education Gen-ed Freeing Renty assigning a UC member to support major Harvard spots, like the reddit, discord, and international student clubs. Combine boardplus and crimsoncash
Extending mealtime petition
Why/how can I get this done: I know it's a lot, and since I'm doing a lot, these aren't promises of things that will happen, but rather suggestions of things that should happen and I could get done if supported, since I've done some version of them before with my nonprofit. I thought I should get it on the record.
I’m already doing this, as the _ at _ Founder, Erevna Research Assistant, Assistant, Opportunity Insights, HKS, HMS, HBS Student Assistant, Ed Portal, Cabot Library Insights Chief of Staff, Harvard Economics Review Data Journalist, Harvard Political Review memberships: metaLAB FAS Standing Committee on Public Service Memorial Church Community Tree Steering Committee Build it Track, Innovation Labs Vice President, Voters Choose Member, Asian Baptist Student Koinonia, AACF, HCFA Policy, Active Minds
Contribute at https://docs.google.com/document/d/1oxUKrWb9DczjbuRgPsvyLbZz9TMaHEMYR7CDYyezXAM/edit