A Layout of the Problem
At Harvard College, there have been efforts to improve student life, but many of these efforts fall short due to varying levels of student engagement, student organization support, and understanding of how central student life is to the University. In light of the University placing sanctions on unrecognized single-gender social organizations and the Harvard College Office of Student Involvement pushing for more involvement in the operations of student organizations, it is important that Harvard College place student life at the center of its agenda more than ever.
Currently as it stands, the Student Organization Center at Hilles (SOCH) at Harvard is located in the Radcliffe Quadrangle, a residential area located at the northernmost part of the College. Although many student organizations use this building as offices and for storage spaces, it has failed to become the student center at the College that the Office of Student Life (OSL) desires. It also does not help that the multiple offices that fall under the OSL are separated and not immediately visible on Harvard’s campus. Many of the OSL-affiliated offices are located in basements of Harvard Yard buildings.
Three years ago, David R. Friedrich, then the SOCH’s manager, vowed that Hilles would “become the place to be.” The SOCH boasted 40,000 square feet of space, including a cinema, a recording studio, and a coffee bar. Unfortunately, this fanfare was located 16 million square feet from Harvard Yard—a 15-minute walk. Despite Friedrich’s hopes, few students frequented Hilles. BRIAN J. BOLDUC, CRIMSON STAFF WRITER
Student centers “should be located in a freestanding, highly visible facility close to the center of campus” (Patton & Hatton 145). High visibility and central location allow for the University’s focus on student life to be perceived as at the top of the list of priorities. The problem with Harvard University designating the SOCH as the main student organization center for College life is that it is by no means in a central location, which automatically does not make it visible for most students at the College on a day-to-day basis. The SOCH is very visible to students who live in the Radcliffe Quadrangle, also known as the Quad, and although it should theoretically be very visible to leaders of student organizations, it does not serve its purpose as a major student organization hub because of the fact that many of students’ day-to-day lives do not touch the Quad. As a matter of fact, with Harvard University moving forward with its plans to develop south of Cambridge into Allston, having the SOCH so far north of all else Harvard will make the SOCH even less centralized.
