Swan, Wexler Win RUS Co-Presidency

Maura H. Swan '94 and Deborah J. Wexler '95 were elected co-presidents of the Radcliffe Union of Students (RUS) last night, running on a platform of expanding and diversifying the group's membership.

Swan and Wexler, voted in by 20 members who attended the meeting, defeated Naomi M. Mann '95 and replaced outgoing co-presidents Minna A. Jarvenpaa '93 and Olivia D. Williams '93.

Running on a block, Swan and Wexler stated in their joint position paper that they would try to lead RUS in the direction of "a forum to discuss the issues important to women at Harvard/Radcliffe, as a body which can take action to respond to those concerns."

Swan and Wexler, an editor of The Crimson, said they hope to recruit more first-year students and minorities to join the group, which is predominantly composed of white upperclass students.

Swan and Wexler said they hoped that women who shy away from the label "feminist," associating it with more radical theories, would not become alienated by RUS.

Rather than emphasizing the active recruitment of members, Mann expressed her desire to see RUS transcend any political affiliations and become more accessible to all women--regardless of their background or political persuasion.

"While we should lend our support, through co-sponsorship and grants, to more political groups, we should try to remain untainted by any bias which might drive potential members away from us," Mann said. "We should be responsible for providing support and services to the broadest base of Radcliffe students."

All the candidates agreed that security programs such as Safety Walk, an all-volunteer escort service which will begin on February 27, are important to improving life for women on campus. Swan and Wexler said they planned to continue sponsoring such events as teas and "Girls' Night Out" to continue "empowering" women in their independent relations with one another.

In other results from the meeting, RUS members elected Ashwini Sukthankar '95 as secretary, Lucy G. Costa '94 as treasurer and Courteney R. Baker '96 as publicity chair.