HCUA to Choose Officers Tonight; Ellis Heavily Favored for Chairman

The Harvard Council for Undergraduate Affairs will hold its annual marathon election meeting tonight, beginning at 5:15 p.m., on the second floor of PBII. Open to the public and featuring unlimited questioning of aspirants for Council offices, the meeting should draw almost as well as the Clay-Liston fight.

Favorite in the race for chairman of the Council is H. Reed Ellis '65 of Dunster House. Ellis has emerged on top of a number of former hopefuls for the office, had he may capture the job on the first ballot.

Directed Room Rent Study

A transfer student from the University of Florida in his sophomore year, Ellis was defeated last year in the race for vice chairman by John P. Russo '65 of Eliot House. Director of HCUA's abortive room heat study, Ellis has expressed interest in expansion of the Council's role in educational adult. He was instrumental in last week's defeat of the Executive Committee's HSA Report, after he co-authored a proposal to recommit the report to committee for further study.

There is likely to be at least one other candidate for chairman, if only to produce a contest. Stephen L. Joseph '65 of Dudley House has declared that he may runner chairman to provide competition. A new Council member, Joseph edits the Harvard Student Calendar and is also a potential candidate for president of HRA. He said last night that he will certainly seek some office on the Council.

John R. Taylor, Jr. '65 of Lowell House, who failed in his bid for the chairmanship last year, denied yesterday that he would seek the office. There has been considerable sentiment in his favor recently, however, and Taylor may become available tonight.

Russo, long expected to be a strong candidate for chairman this year, has announced that he will not seek any office. His decision is probably based on his dissatisfaction with the Council over the past year and on a blast levelled at him at a meeting he could not attend earlier this year by R. Thomas Saymour '64, outgoing chairman.

Hot Content for Vice Chairman

Hottest contest of the evening is sure to be the election of vice chairman Michael E. Abram '66 of Kirkland House and Evan A. Davis '66 of Leverett House will vie for the post with fairly equal records of Council service. Abram and Ellis are old friends, but Ellis has not taken sides in the election. He is expected to encourage the loser of the race to easier, the election for secretary.

Davis has prepared a statement of his suggestions for future Council action which he will present tonight. Abram said last night that "the Council should stop thinking about its role and assert itself positively.

Abram indicated yesterday that he would probably drop down to secretary if defeated; Davis shrugged off the suggestion, explaining, "I can't type."