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There is an upcoming election for Harvard’s Board of Overseers and Harvard Alumni Association’s Elected Directors, and we are writing to encourage you to vote!
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International alumni comprise 20% of all Harvard Alumni, yet they are underrepresented on Harvard’s Board of Overseers and amongst the Harvard Alumni Association’s Elected Directors --- because only 15% of international alumni vote in the elections.
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Your vote can change this.
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As little as 200 votes can make the difference as to whether a candidate is elected or not.
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We can make that difference! Together with international clubs around the world, the HUASS would like to ask you and all the alumni in our region to vote in the elections that start on April 1st (EST) and end May 18th.
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The outstanding international candidates on the current ballot won’t be elected without your support. You can vote for up to five candidates on the Overseers ballot and up to six on the HAA Elected Directors ballot. Even if you only consider voting for the international candidates, please vote.
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The history of the Overseers goes back to the foundation of Harvard in 1636, and all its members are Harvard alumni, who are nominated and elected by alumni. It is a standout factor in Harvard’s governance that makes it unique. The Overseers’ purpose is to maintain Harvard’s academic excellence and its ability to make a difference in the world (which also reflects on our own credentials). Their primary role is to lead the academic and administrative visiting committees to the Graduate Schools and the College.
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Having an international voice within the University is important to current international students and to our alumni community. Nothing could have made that clearer than the international students’ experience with remote learning this past year. The University was slow to recognize the impact of distance and time differences, resulting in inequitable outcomes for many international students, including classes and exams in the middle of the night. Better international representation will help address challenges like these.
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The Harvard Alumni Association Elected Directors are the “at large” members of the HAA Board who represent all alumni. Without international Elected Directors, we miss out on this representation which has an impact on our clubs and other alumni initiatives.
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Your online ballot will arrive in an email from the Elections Services Corporation (ESC) from this address: [email protected] . (Harvard also will mail paper ballots to alumni who have not opted out, but under the current circumstances they are unlikely to arrive in time to meet the May 18th voting deadline.) If you don’t receive a ballot, please check your spam folders.
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Would you like to know more?
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Here is a link to two recent Townhalls for International club leaders organized by the Asia Pacific HAA Board Directors. The panel included former Overseers, current HAA Elected Directors, and members of the HAA Board’s Nominating committee. The distillation of Harvard governance and the role we play as alumni is empowering. (Both Townhalls cover the same content, but from the perspectives of different panelists.)
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We know that the international community has much to offer Harvard. We embody global perspectives, bringing to the table knowledge of the diverse communities in which we live and the challenges and opportunities across academia, business, culture, and politics.
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Participating in the elections for the Overseers and the HAA Elected Directors is probably the best way in which international alumni can express our support for Harvard, give voice to our international alumni community, and ensure an inclusive learning environment for international students.
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The Board of the Harvard Club of Singapore
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The Executive Committee 2020/2021
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Rebecca WOO, AB '89, President
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Titus YONG, EdM '03, Vice President
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Welly TANTONO, AB '96, Treasurer
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Allen Chu, AB ‘92, Secretary
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Arthur LANG AB '96, MBA '01, Director
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Andrew NAI, GMP '14, Director
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En-Ming ONG, AB '11, Director
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Benjamin Goh, MPP '17, Director
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Kamal Karmakar OPM '08, Director
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