Council Passes Charter

After two and a half hours of stormy debate last night, the Student Council unanimously approved a new constitution to be presented to the student body for ratification. The approved version generally follows the suggestions of the Special Committee on Re-Organization, but numerous amendments were attached to the original committee draft.

Last night's session climaxed nearly half year of study, debate, and maneuvering for a revision of the Council. By general consent, the new constitution represents relatively few sharp departures from the old organization; most of the dramatic changes are expected to come when the new Council writes its by-laws.

The new constitution will be presented to the student body on a referendum vote within the next two weeks. A two-thirds affirmative vote is needed for ratification.

Controversy Over Name

The chief point of controversy last night was over the name of the new Council. The reorganization committee proposed changing the name to the Harvard council for Undergraduate Affairs; a sizable minority of the Council fought fiercely to retain the old name of Student Council.

A motion to submit the new constitution with the name Student Council was defeated 10-7. Speaking for the motion, John Thorndike '64 warned that a change in name would needlessly confuse the functions of the new Council and "destroy a 53 year tradition" without cause.

Michael Hornblow '62 remarked that since the Council should have a limited, humble function, it should have a humble name." Marc J. Roberts '64 described the proposed change as "an accurate description of the duties of the new Council's functions without the usual student government connotations of 'student council' or the memory of Howie Phillips."

After the motion to retain the name Student Council was rejected, the Council decided to give the choice to the student body. On the referendum ballot, voters will be asked to select one of the two names before voting yes or no on the constitution itself. As a result, it will only take a simple majority vote to change the name, but a two thirds plurality will still be needed on the constitution as a whole.

Three Committees Proposed

Another major change in the original draft concerned committees. Under a motion accepted last night, the new Council will have three standing committees--Executive, Elections, and Combined Charities. These committees and their chairmen, as well as any other committees provided for by the by-laws or the Council, will be appointed by the Executive Committee.

The system, which decentralizes power in the Council, is "an attempt to avoid the evils of putting too much power in one person's hands," according to Stephen L. Pohl '63, "This was one of the big troubles with Howie (Phillips) last year."

The original draft had specified a committee on educational policy, a curriculum review committee, and a N.S.A. committee. These were dropped to gain administrative flexibility in the new organization.

Despite the tensions of the meeting, Council members seemed generally pleased with the new constitution. Wearing an especially broad smile was William E. Bailey '62, Dunster House Committee Chairman, whose action in taking Dunster out of the old Council last spring caused the crisis that led to reorganization.