WORK OF STUDENT COUNCIL

At the meeting of the entire Student Council held in the Union last evening the main business taken up was that of accepting the report of the secretary, R. B. Wigglesworth '12, and of the committees on organization and scholarship. By far the most important measure passed was one providing for a uniform and permanent class constitution. The striking feature of the constitution is that in the Junior and Sophomore years it provides for nominations by petition only, and for a system of preferential voting. A detailed statement concerning this constitution is given below by J. G. Gilkey '12, chairman of the Committee on Scholarship.

Resolution on Organized Cheering.

Two letters on the subject of organized cheering at the baseball games, were received from the graduate advisory committee on baseball, and the following resolution was passed: That organized cheering in itself is not bad, but certain phases of it as practiced today are prejudicial to the best interests of the University as a whole. That cheering before and after the game, between the innings, and after brilliant plays is only the natural expression of undergraduate spirit and does a great deal to increase the interest of the occasion, but such expressions should not take the form of an ungentlemanly attitude toward opponents. The Council feels that the cheer leaders can do a great deal toward controlling the situation and hopes that the undergraduate body will heartily co-operate to remedy the present evils.

J. R. Sibley '12 reported for the committee on organizations that the chief work of the committee had consisted of publishing the University Register, the maintenance of the "Date Book" in the Union, and aiding the registered and territorial clubs in their affairs.

The movement for closer relations between the University and the Boston Opera Company was discussed at some length and the meeting was addressed by Mr. Hanfstaengl, one of the leaders of the movement. A resolution, highly endorsing the work of the committee in charge, was passed.

It was voted that it is desirable to have the wearing of class buttons remain, as at present, the insignia of the Senior class only.

It was recommended that the insignia "H. R. T." be awarded the members of the University rifle team.

J. C. Talbot '15, of Milton, was elected a member of the Council in place of F. Wigglesworth '15, resigned.

At a meeting of the Executive Committee of the Student Council held after the general meeting last night, J. Gordon Gilkey '12, of Watertown, was elected to fill the vacancy in the committee caused by the resignation of L. D. Smith '12.

Report of Secretary.

To the Student Council of Harvard College:

I have the honor to submit the following report of the activities of your Executive Committee from October 30, 1911, to the present date. (March 13, 1912).

The Executive Committee has held six meetings on the following dates: November 15, December 18, January 15, January 23, February 14, and March 4.

The first business was the appointment of four sub-committees to deal with certain particular problems of university life; these committees to act subject to the approval of the Executive Committee. The following sub-committees were appointed:

1. Committee on Organizations:--J. R. Sibley '12 (chairman), P. G. M. Austin '13, H. B. Gill '13, A. W. Knauth '12, W. E. Quinby '14.

2. Committee on Dramatics:--R. C. Benchley '12 (chairman), J. S. Abreu '14, E. C. Brown '12, C. E. Hansen '12, O. W. Hausserman '12, H. E. Miller '12.

3. Committee on Scholarship and Publications:--J. G. Gilkey '12 (chairman), G. W. Gray '12, G. C. Henderson '12, G. H. McCaffrey '12, D. P. Ranney '12, G. H. Roosevelt '13, H. J. Smith '13, R. W. Williams '12.

4. Committee on Subsidiary Athletics:--R. T. Fisher '12, (chairman), R. B. Batchelder '13, C. P. Curtis, Jr., '14, A. M. Goodale '13, F. D. Huntington '12, R. S. Potter '12, A. Strong '12, P. R. Withington '12.

Work of Sub-Committees.

The Committee on Organizations has accomplished a great deal of valuable work: 1. It has had charge of the date-book of lectures and meetings, and of the calendar in the CRIMSON; 2. It has assisted territorial clubs in College to co-operate with their home Harvard clubs; 3. It has aided registered clubs; 4. It has established better accounting for clubs; 5. It has edited the University register. Chairman Sibley has a report which will be submitted later, taking up these things more in detail.

The Committee on Scholarship and Publications has also accomplished an enormous amount of work and has several very important suggestions to lay before you this evening. These will likewise be discussed in detail later on by its chairman, J. G. Gilkey '12. In brief the suggestions are as follows:

1. That all undergraduate publications, the Dramatic Club, the Musical Clubs, the Pierian Sodality, and the Phi Beta Kappa, publish, written three weeks after the beginning of the college year, a definite statement of their aim, the work required of candidates and the conditions of election to membership.

2. That within four weeks after the beginning of college all undergraduate publications unite in holding a common smoker for Freshmen at which a representative of each paper shall be invited to speak, this common smoker in no way to interfere with individual smokers that the different publications may desire to give.

3. That the Student Council suggest to the Faculty the advisability of adding to the regular list of courses, a course or a half-course on,--a. Present day problems of American Government.

b. In Eugenics and the present theories concerning heredity and race improvement.

4. And perhaps most important of all the Committee has drawn up a permanent class constitution which is designed to systematize the methods of all class elections. This constitution has been very carefully considered, and amended by the Executive Committee.

The two other sub-committees, on "Dramatics" and "Subsidiary Athletics," have unfortunately failed to accomplish anything. However, there seems to be a large field of work for both these committees and it is hoped that some real results may be brought about before the end of the year.--This then concludes, in brief, the work of the sub-committees of this council.

Achievements of Executive Committee.

The Executive Committee has, itself, handled certain other work of considerable importance and has one matter to submit for your discussion this evening. This is the matter of organized cheering at baseball games. The Advisory Committee on baseball has written us two letters on the subject, stating the views, and asking for the opinion of the Council. This matter must be discussed tonight.

Of the remaining work of the Executive Committee, perhaps the most important has been the new scheme of Freshman elections which it inaugurated, the plan being ratified by 1915 as a whole. By this scheme:--

1. The Executive Committee of the Student Council is to act as a nominating committee for the Freshman class, making a provisional list for the three officers and the Student Council representatives at least two men being put up for each office.

2. Additional nominations may be made by petitions signed by thirty-five members of the class.

3. The balloting will take place at the lodge gate as in the case of all other class elections.

The plan seemed to be most successful and met with very general approval.

The Executive Committee also voted that the maximum number of numerals to be awarded to a championship class football team be increased from 15 to 20. This suggestion was adopted by the Athletic Committee.

A committee has also been appointed, with A. J. Lowrey '13 as chairman, to draw up a list of 1913 men for Freshman advisers during the coming year. This was done at the request of Dean Castle.

Finally, this Executive Committee has had to deal with several petitions from college organizations, and the ratification of seven managers.

There are also several matters of very great importance on which the committee is at present working, but which are not yet in proper condition for presentation. The committee hopes to have these matters in more definite shape before very long.

The suggestions herein contained now come before you for your consideration. They will be discussed in more detail by the various committee chairmen.

Respectfully submitted,  R. B. WIGGLESWORTH, Sec.

March 13, 1912.

New Class Constitutions.

The permanent class constitution ratified last night by the Student Council is designed first to put in definite form the generally accepted, though hitherto indefinite traditions of class organization, and second to provide a fairer and more reasonable system of class elections than the one now in use. For purposes of simplicity, the constitution is divided into two parts--one for the three lower classes the other for the Senior class. In each definite regulations are made concerning the membership of the class, the officers, the system of nomination and election of officers, the meetings of the class, and the method of amending the constitution.

The only radical change from the present system of class organization is in the method of nomination and election of class officers. The Freshman class elections will be under the general supervision of the Student Council--a plan tried for the first time this year. The Executive Committee of the Student Council will make nominations for each of the Freshman class officers. Additional nominations may be made by petition of 35 members of the class. A system of preferential voting will be used in the class election.

In the Sophomore and Junior years, all nominations for class officers will be made by petition. These petitions are to be signed by thirty-five members of the class. As in the Freshman year a system of preferential voting will be used in the class elections.

In the Senior Year, nominations for class officers will be made in the usual way--by a nominating committee of five members appointed by the president of the class. Additional nominations may be made by petition of 25 members of the class. The regular system of voting will be used in the Senior class elections.

The most radical change, then, made by this new constitution is in the system of election during the Sophomore and Junior years. The systems advocated for the Freshman and Senior years have been tried and seem to have proved satisfactory.

The change in the method of election during Sophomore and Junior years has been made in the hope that the new system of nomination solely by petition may obviate the unfortunate class feeling sometimes caused by the old system of nomination by a committee. Under this old system, the leading men in the class were usually elected to the nominating committee, usually nominated themselves for the class officers, and usually were elected. This often gave rise to a more or less exaggerated feeling on the part of certain members of the class that "machine politics" had been introduced into college elections. This feeling sometimes resulted in bitterness among various "groups" in the class. The fact that additional nominations might have been made by petition seems to have been of little help in solving these difficulties.

It is hoped, however, that the new system of nomination solely by petition and election by preferential voting will in some measure remedy the trouble. Any man may be nominated for any office, and, if he is the candidate most favored by the class, will be elected. No preference will be given to the "regular" as opposed to the "petition" candidate, inasmuch as every candidate will be nominated by petition. After an election is over no man will have the right to feel that he was "unrepresented" among the nominees or that a certain body of men "controlled" the election. Under this system it is believed a fairer representation and a more genuine class unity will result.

The complete text of the constitution, as adopted last night by the representatives of the four classes on the Student Council will be published in Saturday's CRIMSON.  J. GORDON GILKEY '12.

Chairman of Committee on Scholarship and Publications