READY FOR A FIGHT

Another descendant of Greek immigrants is making political waves in Massachusetts this week.

He doesn't look like a politician. He doesn't talk like a politician. He doesn't even act like a politician.

Steven N. Kalkanis '93 is running for office as a man who gets results. If things go his way, he could become the next chair of the Undergraduate Council.

But Kalkanis has proven that he has better vote-getting ability than a certain bushy-browed New England governor.

Kalkanis racked up the highest number of votes from Quincy House in last week's races for the Undergraduate Council. He comes into the race for chair with a strong popular base in the second largest undergraduate house.

Raised in Michigan, Kalkanis presents himself as a subdued, thoughtful pragmatist with a strong commitment to student services, or what he calls "tangible benefits to undergraduates." He speaks in terse, precise tones that are measured and direct.

And although Kalkanis has only served one year on the council, he says that what he has accomplished is much more important that the length of his tenure.

Kalkanis frequenty points to his success in reforming the academic calendar, marking the first time the administration permitted student input in such changes. The result: a two-day extension of intersession and some very happy constituents.

Kalkanis stresses the importance of cooperation with the new administration of President Neil L. Rudenstine, and even more importantly the constituents that the council represents.

In particular, he cites the extensive student surveys he designed which helped to define support for the calendar reforms.

Kalkanis, who also served a student representative on the Committee on Undergraduate Education (CUE), insists that student involvement is necessary for future changes in concentration requirements and adjustments to the Core Curriculum.

In addition, he wants to involve students in the long-range plans to renovate Lamont Library.

Fellow Quincy House representative Adam D. Taxin '93 lauds Kalkanis for his dedication to the council, noting how his pragmatic service-oriented efforts have directly benefited students.

"It's not the quantity of time on the council that matters but the quality," says Taxin.

Differentiating between Kalkanis and his opponent in the race for the council chair, David A. Aronberg '93, Taxin emphasizes Kalkanis's greater concentration on "external" issues that are directly of interest to students. Aronberg, he says, focuses too much on "internal" issues related to restructuring the council.

"Steve tends to look at the UC as more than just an extra-curricular activity," Taxin added.

Kalkanis, like his opponent, plans to appoint a council press officer and stresses measures to encourage greater participation from first-year and sophomore representatives. Both Kalkanis and Aronberg emphasize the importance of getting council members who are not on the Executive Board to participate in the inner workings of the organization.

Kalkanis also favors more forums to voice student concerns and says he wants progress on student-faculty committees like the CUE. With regard to finances, Kalkanis expresses satisfaction with the grants-appropriation process, but insists on greater accountability in the form of full, itemized reports following every council-sponsored event.

While Kalkanis runs on a heavily service-oriented platform, he says that student government must also serve as "an articulator of student concerns." Occasionally discussion of issues viewed as political, though, is not incompatible with a service-oriented council, he says.

"If we can articulate to the administration how the students feel, that becomes a service," he says.