The Mail FRESHMAN APATHY

To the editors of the CRIMSON:

My roommates and I had a rare glimpse at representative democracy tonight when we unsuspectingly began our dinner in the small dining room of the freshman Union. Soon after we had begun, a meeting of the lately controversial Freshman Council sprang up around us. But we were vaguely interested and, informed that the public was invited, we decided to stay. And an enlightening experience it was.

Several Radcliffe freshmen were present, as a result of the recent merger, but only one ventured an opinion on an issue in an audible voice. Of the twenty-five Harvard freshman attending, exactly eight voiced opinions throughout the meeting. After dispensing with Jubilee Weekend in two sentences, the Council heard and almost immediately passed a measure regarding the jurisdiction of the Committee on Rights and Responsibilities. After passing the motion, the Council proceeded to consider the motion. The discussion on the expansive measure flagellated around having the right but not having the right, legitimacy and illegitimacy, revolting on the vote to call for the vote, with some side comments about the girl in the red sweater in the back of the room. Throughout the discussion, members drifted in and out (mostly out). Ultimately someone called for a quorum, and agreeing that they couldn't suspend the rule requiring a quorum without a quorum vote, the meeting degenerated to un-aimed discussion. Soon after the suggestion that the Constitution be amended to make people stay for the meeting, the Council was put to rest for the night. The representative seated next to me remarked, "I am proud to be a member of such a far- reaching organization."

Perhaps this letter sounds slightly condescending; I do not intend it to. I have great respect for the representatives who attend and contribute, however unrepresentative their eight voices (nine, counting the Cliffle) are. My personal opinion was best summed up in a comment of the deservedly suffering President-"This doesn't seem to be getting us anywhere."