Brown Students Hope to Impeach Reagan; Undergraduate Council Certifies Political Group

Despite laughter, personal rancor, and political partisanship, Brown University this week approved a student group whose ultimate goal is the impeachment of President Reagan.

Two years ago, the Undergraduate Council of Students constituted a similarly controversial group that promoted the stockpiling of suicide pills as a symbolic protest to the nuclear arms race. This year, the goal is only slightly more realistic.

"Our overall purpose is to restore basic democratic principles to the United States government....We are working to have a questioning environment on campus of what this country was founded on and whether Ronald Reagan is qualified to be President," said John Bonifaz '87, founder of Students for Ethical Government.

Bonifaz and fifteen active members will raise the issue of Reagan's recent disclosure of his "disinformation campaign" in Libya. "It [the campaign] is an anathema to the principles of honesty in government," said Bonifaz.

The group will also focus on Reagan's activities in Nicaragua, and on the Soviets' 1983 shooting of a Korean jet, which Bonifaz alleges was on a U.S. spy mission.

Bonifaz's group has already gathered 500 student signatures on a petition for the placement of a referendum on the council's next election ballot. The referendum will specifically list the three primary issues, and will ask students to vote yes or no as to whether or not President Reagan should be impeached. The election will be held on November 12 and 13.

The Undergraduate Council initially opposed constituting the group by a vote of 11-10. "A lot of people let their personal feelings get in the way," said undergraduate council member Derek C. Livingston.

After rewording the group's constitution to include more educational goals, such as hosting speakers on campus, a voice re-vote was taken, and the group was constituted, Livingston said.

"If the group does not deliberately harm any person or group of people, i.e. women, lesbians or gays, and, on top of that, it does provide a healthy political atmosphere, there is no reason not to constitute it," he said.

The Students for Ethical Government will hold a press conference to announce their formation on November 5. "We're calling the wire services and we may call the networks," Bonifaz said.

"We've understandably gotten laughter, and the subject has some humor, but we're serious. We're dealing with one of the most serious of propaganda campaigns," he said.