2025 HES Student Organization Elections Details

• Monday, March 24th at 12:00 AM (ET) – Call for Applications opens.
• Wednesday, March 26th from 4:00 PM – 5:00 PM (ET) – Campaign rules office hours (Zoom link)
• Sunday, March 30th at 11:59:00 PM (ET) – Call for Applications closes.
• Monday, March 31st by 5:00 PM (ET) – Candidates are announced and campaigning for all positions begins.
• TBA – Meet the Candidates hosted by Harvard Extension Student Association (Zoom link)
• Monday, April 7th at 11:59 AM (ET) – Campaigning for all positions ends.
• Monday, April 7th at 12:00 PM (ET) – Voting for all positions opens.
• Monday, April 14th at 11:59 PM (ET) – Voting for all positions closes.
• Tuesday, April 15th by 12:00 PM (ET) – Winning candidates notified.
• Thursday, April 17th by 12:00 PM (ET) – Deadline for confirming position acceptance.
• Friday, April 18th by 5:00pm (ET) – Election results announced to general HES population.

• Must be a currently enrolled non-graduating degree candidate.
• Must be in good academic and behavioral standing at Harvard.
• Must have completed at least one semester after their official date of admission.
• Must identify and run on a platform that does not mirror the organizational efforts of the Division of Continuing Education and that can be achieved during a one-year term (For example: The creation of programs and activities that better prepare students for leadership in a virtual workplace).

Note: All elected members of any HES Student Organization can only hold one leadership role at Harvard. This includes serving as a DCE Global Ambassador, a DCE Equity Fellow, and Harvard-wide council and committee leadership.

Violation of the rules below may result in the disqualification of your candidacy or suspension of the election. All candidates are expected to uphold the values of the Harvard Extension School community, demonstrating integrity, honesty, and respect in all matters related to student organization elections. We require all candidates to fully comply with the campaign rules, student conduct policies, and other DCE policies. Additionally, all candidates must be aware of HES and Harvard University policies and are responsible for ensuring that the election process adheres to the policies listed below:

• Anti-Hazing Policy
• Non-Discrimination and Anti-Bullying Policy
• Title IX Policy
• University Rights and Responsibilities

We reserve the authority to disqualify individual candidates and/or suspend the election if candidates engage in campaign violations or other misconduct arising from the electoral process. There will be a zero-tolerance policy for any inappropriate behavior.

Rule 1 — Keep your campaign positive: Focus on your own goals and objectives. It is paramount to maintain the high standards of Harvard University. While you may distinguish yourself from and express disagreement with the positions of other candidates, false claims and personal attacks against other candidates will not be tolerated. For example, an appropriate way to disagree with another candidate’s position might be:

“While I agree with John Smith that increasing a sense of belonging for HES students if of the utmost importance, I do not think that increasing our on-campus programming is the correct way to approach the problem. We should be prioritizing virtual accessibility given how many of our students are not located in the Cambridge area.”

Rule 2 — Use of the student directory: Student directory information is intended for finding information on individuals you may know. Bulk downloading of directory information is prohibited. The use of directory information to support mass communication is prohibited.

Rule 3 — Campaign messaging:

• Campaign messaging, as it is used in these election guidelines, refers to all written communications used by candidates (or on behalf of candidates) to further their campaign for an Executive Board position. This includes, but is not limited to, emails, texts, WhatsApp messages, and social media posts. If you are unsure whether these rules apply to a particular medium of campaigning, please contact the HES Elections Team at elections@extension.harvard.edu before campaigning with that medium.
• All campaign messaging must include a link to the OSA candidate page: UPDATE LINK
  • Example: Hi everyone! My name is John Smith and I’m running for HESA President! You should vote for me because I want to prioritize making all social events accessible to the online HES community. Also, please make sure to check out all the candidates and vote for the person who best reflects what you’d like to see from HESA in the coming year!
• All campaign messaging is subject to Rule 1 — Keep your campaign positive. This means that your campaign materials should not include negative or derogatory language about other candidates. Campaign messaging should focus specifically on you as an individual, your qualifications, and your goals for the Student Organization you hope to represent.
• Email: Mass emailing is not allowed in any capacity, regardless of a candidate’s personal relationship with those on the email list.
• Social Media:
  • Acceptable places to campaign include:
    • Your personal social media accounts
    • The HESA Facebook group
    • The HESA Facebook page
    • The HES Connect WhatsApp chat. Candidates may not campaign in WhatsApp chats that are focused on a particular interest, identity, region, class, degree program, etc. This is to prevent topic-specific communication channels from being overwhelmed with elections content. If you are unsure if a specific WhatsApp channel is appropriate to post in, please email elections@extension.harvard.edu prior to posting.
      • Candidates running for Student Club Executive Board positions (excluding HESA) may campaign within WhatsApp chats designated for communications related to that specific club.
  • Unacceptable places to campaign include:
    • Official course-related communication platforms (e.g., Canvas, Zoom, etc.)
    • Any alumni-focused pages, groups, channels, or platforms, including HES Alumni LinkedIn groups
    • WhatsApp channels that are focused on a particular interest, identity, region, class, degree program, etc. 

Rule 4 — Flyer distribution: Should you be enrolled in an in-person course, flyers may be distributed to students enrolled in your course(s). Flyers may not be distributed during class time.

Rule 5 — Harvard trademarks: Posters, flyers, and other outlets for your campaign (including social media) must not include Harvard emblems that would suggest endorsement by the administration. Harvard logos on items of clothing are allowed since these do not suggest endorsement.

Rule 6 — Campaign expenses: Campaign materials – including posters, flyers, videos, website, and any other materials – are to be paid for by the candidate (or their campaign team) and must not exceed a total cost of $150 for the whole campaign. Receipts for all campaign expenses must be submitted via email to elections@extension.harvard.edu no later than Sunday, March 31 at 11:59 PM ET.

Rule 7 — Endorsement: Student organizations may not endorse specific candidates. Officers and other organizational leaders may individually and personally endorse candidates provided that they state that they are acting in their personal capacity and not on behalf of the organization. Student organizations and their leaders acting in their official roles are entitled to share information about the election, but they must include equal information about each candidate. Should a student organization or specific student organization leader endorse a candidate in their official capacity, that candidate is subject to immediate disqualification. It may also result in disciplinary action for the club and/or club leaders per the procedures laid out in the 2024-2025 Student Organization Resource Guide.

Rule 8 — Election: Should you win the election for your position, you will be contacted via email by the Elections email (elections@extension.harvard.edu). You will have 48 hours from the time the email was sent to accept or decline the position.

If an alleged violation(s) of the rules above is reported, these allegations will be thoroughly reviewed by HES administrators before determining the appropriate outcome, including but not limited to disqualification of candidacy or suspension of the election. 

The HES Student Elections Team will host Elections Office Hours on Wednesday, March 26th, from 4:00-5:00pm ET. This session will be an unstructured opportunity for candidates to ask clarifying questions regarding the updated campaign rules and election process, to ensure they meet all expectations set forth by the Elections Team. Participation is not required. The session will be hosted at the following Zoom link: https://harvard.zoom.us/j/91217374357

This session will be recorded.

• Candidates must secure at least fifty-one percent (51%) of all votes in order to be elected to their corresponding Student Organization Leadership position.
• There will be one ballot for all Student Organizations. Each student can vote for leadership in each student organization (or abstain) if they choose, all within the same ballot.
• Students will receive one unique voting link that is associated with their email account to cast their ballot. This link cannot be shared. Students are encouraged to review all of the candidates’ materials on the candidate page before accessing the link they receive to cast a ballot as you may be unable to return to the ballot page upon leaving the page.