Success to the Key

Crimson Key's first year has been a success. The Key has performed its numerous duties in fine style and has won itself a place in the extracurricular scene. But its first year has also revealed a great organizational problem.

This basic problem is the old one of small-group efficiency versus adequate representation. The Society must remain representative of the student body so that it will not degenerate to a club of self-styled BMOC's, as has happened at other colleges; it must not be unwieldy.

This year's constitution tried to handle the problem by making up the executive body from representatives of undergraduate organizations. But these representatives had little time for their work, and most of the Key's activities were handled by a separate group called the Associates. The new Constitution makes these Associates full Key members and calls them the Permanent Body, as opposed to the Representative Body. It sets up a careful balance of power, with each Body including 32 members. The 64 Key-men will meet only four times a year to determine policy; the day-to-day work will be handled by the Permanent Body and seven officers. And two of the officers must be members of the Representative Body.

At the moment, this seems a reasonable compromise. Associates, the only people familiar with actual Key work, must have a voice in Key policy, but they should not outnumber the representatives. The one question for the future is whether the Representative Body will be an efficient check on clubby tendencies.

Initial enthusiasm for the new group brought success to this year's Key. As the Key becomes part of college routine and loses its novelty, its future accomplishment will increasingly depend on a strong organization.