By Taylor Walsh
Columbia Daily Spectator (Columbia U.)
(U-WIRE)-When the Ivy Council gathers for its fall conference at Cornell University this November, don’t expect to see all the Ivy League schools represented. Harvard has officially withdrawn its delegation, and the jury is still out on if and when it might return.
Last spring, the Harvard Undergraduate Council passed a resolution to withdraw its delegation from the Ivy Council, citing the frequent absenteeism and lack of professionalism on the parts of the other member universities as its main reasons for leaving.
Harvard’s departure leaves a conspicuous absence in a group designed to unite the small confederation of schools, and it may weaken the council’s influence and credibility.
The purpose of the Ivy Council, whose delegates are mostly student council members at their respective schools, is to provide a forum for undergraduate leaders to network and compare notes on common issues. It also functions as a lobbying group with the power to pass resolutions stating a common stance on university-related issues.