HCUA in Death Throes, Votes to Divide in Two

The Harvard Council for Undergraduate Affairs moved to abolish itself last night, but defeated a proposal that would have allowed the College to determine whether or not it wants any student government at all.

After about two hours of discussion the Council overwhelmingly approved the recommendation of its Executive Committee that a new Constitution be written. It would replace the HCUA with a Harvard Undergraduate Council (HUC) and a Harvard Policy Committee (HPC), which would divide the old Council's functions between them.

Probably the most significant action of the evening, however, was the voice vote to table a motion by Richard C. Minzner '65, an Adams House representative. He suggested a student referendum after the new Constitution is written to choose between the old HCUA, the new HUC and HPC, or nothing at all.

Dean Monro, who attended the HCUA meeting with three House Masters, said that he is "not as discouraged with the Council as it is with itself," but that he favors the proposal for revision. He suggested that the new HUC would probably be a "potent committee."

The only objection voiced by Monro was that the number of Faculty members on the HPC should be kept small, so that its Faculty delegation could not form a bloc large enough to prevail whenever there is student disagreement. Monro would be a member of the proposed HPC, and the HCUA finally left the number of Faculty members unspecified.

In a formal statement of its proposed revisions, for which HCUA Secretary Evan A. Davis '66 was given major credit, the Executive Committee charged that the limits to HCUA's structure had condemned it to an "all-too-inconsequential role in the College."

The Executive Committee listed a lack of Faculty respect for the HCUA, unawareness by the Council of the University's plans, and the absence of opportunities to learn of Faculty reaction to HCUA reports as the reasons the Council has failed.

A special seven-man committee was appointed by chairman H. Reed Ellis '65 to report a new Constitution back to the Council within a week.

The Leverett House Committee reportedly adopted a motion last night calling for the abolition of college-wide student government at Harvard if the present attitude of the Administration is not altered.