What are Harvard Undergraduates Doing on Campus?
The Harvard Undergraduate Association invites alumni to its first-ever State of the Campus on September 17 — a free, online event built to show what student life at Harvard really looks like today.
When Zach Berg and Daniel Zhao took office as Co-Presidents of the Harvard Undergraduate Association (HUA) — Harvard's student government — they ran on a promise that was ambitious by any measure: raise $2.1 million to help fund the extraordinary range of talent on campus, from musicians to roboticists.
The reason, they say, is simple. Harvard's student organizations are the heartbeat of campus life, but they don't all have equal access to the resources they need to thrive.
A Funding Gap Hiding in Plain Sight
Despite the caliber of what Harvard students produce, the university's student government currently operates with less funding than its counterparts at peer institutions. That gap matters more than it might seem. Club funding isn't a line item — it's the difference between an idea and an opportunity that can meaningfully contribute to their student experience.
We already see what happens when Harvard undergraduates have access to funding. The Crimson was selected as the top college newspaper in the country and Harvard Model Congress continues to run the premier Congressional simulation across three continents.
These aren't outliers. They're proof of what happens when student-led organizations have the resources they need to unlock the full potential of Harvard experience. Multiply that potential across the hundreds of clubs on campus — from a cappella groups to robotics teams — and the case for investment becomes clear: this funding isn't a "nice to have." It's the lifeblood of the undergraduate experience.
An Invitation, Not Just an Ask
To make that case directly, the HUA is hosting its first-ever State of the Campus, a virtual event open to alumni everywhere.
Thursday, September 17 · 6:00 PM ET · Online
Attendees will hear from Co-Presidents Zach Berg and Daniel Zhao on what they're seeing across campus and their priorities for the year ahead. But the heart of the event belongs to other student leaders: leaders from some of Harvard's largest and most prominent clubs — including organizations that have historically been overlooked — will share what their work actually looks like from the inside. Leaders from clubs without as much funding will talk about their hopes and aspirations and the importance of the work that they are doing.
It's an unusually direct window into student life, built specifically for the alumni community that shaped it.
Free to Attend, Donations Welcome
The HUA wants to be clear about one thing: this event is free, and everyone is welcome — whether or not you're able to give.
Donations are encouraged and go directly toward closing the funding gap described above, but the bigger goal is simpler: the HUA wants every alum, regardless of their capacity to contribute, to understand what today's student experience is really like.
RSVP for State of the Campus: https://forms.gle/3bTr8DvuSigFWu738 Support the HUA: https://www.thehua.org/donations
Know a fellow alum who'd want to hear directly from Harvard's current student leaders? Forward this along — the more perspectives in the room, the better the conversation.