Council Battles Sagging School Spirit

Harvard's school spirit, or lack thereof, dominated debate at last night's Undergraduate Council meeting.

In a marathon meeting in which they discussed almost a dozen items on their docket, council members passed resolutions to create a new school mascot, to sponsor a spirit week preceding the Harvard-Yale football game and to fund a tailgate party at The Game.

In addition, the council passed two constitutional amendments, one which will allow more members to serve on the council's Finance Committee and another which will refund the council's entire term bill fee of $20 to students who request it.

Currently, students may check a box on the termbill asking for a refund, but they are only refunded $16.67. To receive the additional amount, students must write a letter to the Office of the Dean of Students explaining why they are withholding their contributions.

Council members said last night that they are no longer worried refunding the entire sum would hurt the council's finances.

Last night's resolution, which was proposed by council reformers and defeated several times in recent years, will allow the full amount to be refunded by simply checking a box on the term-bill. The decision must now be approved by College administrators.

The council also voted last night to hold a campus wide forum on Core reform and another one to support an ethnic studies conference being sponsored by the Harvard Foundation for Intercultural and Race Relations.

Another bill, sponsored by council member Mary I. Naber '98, calls for the council to pressure the Metro District Commissioner of Massachusetts to place a pedestrian crossing sign at the intersection of John I. Kennedy Street and Soldiers Field Road, across from the gates to the athletic complex Naber said she and others have seen several students hit by cars at that intersection.

After lengthy debate, the council decided to pursue a new mascot design which would embody the spirit of the "Crimson" name.

Many council members objected to last year's effort to create an "Angry Pilgrim" mascot designed in the image of John Harvard, saving it links the University with its white male past.

At The Game Last year. Campus Life Committee Co-chair Rudd W. Coffey '97 dressed as the "Angry Pilgrim" and received what he called "mixed reviews."

This year's mascot, as yet undefined, is to be a more abstract representation of school spirit.

The council also allotted $1,500 to provide a tent and music for a tailgate party at The Game, where council members will serve food to Harvard students free of charge.

Jenn R. Dean '96 and Tally Zingher '99 sponsored a resolution for a "Spirit Week," to take place the week before The Game.

Each day that week students will be encouraged to dress in accordance with themes, which will be decided later. Suggested themes included cross-dressing day, international day and super-heroes day. $50 was allocated for prizes to be awarded for the best costumes.

Closer Ties

The only bill not passed last night, sponsored by Dean and Eric M. Silberstein '98, was designed to foster closer ties between the council and the other student groups on campus.

The resolution would have forced council members to become liaisons between the council and each of the officially recognized student groups on campus.

Silberstein said this measure would give the council a greater mandate to act for student interests by giving groups a voice on the council.

Without this kind of representation, the council is not doing its job as a government, Silberstein aid.

"It's hard to get students: your district to care," he said. "Student groups already do care. This will put a good kind of pressure on the council, the kind of pressure every government needs."

Opposition to the bill first came from PUCC members Jeremy R. Jenkins '98-'97 and Marco B. Simons '97, who said they objected to the clause that groups must be officially recognized by the University.

Jenkins and Simons sponsored an amendment to the bill which, when eventually adopted, changed the bill to allow student groups which are not recognized to petition the council's vice-president for representation if they do not violate the University's anti-discrimination policies.

This amendment sparked the fiercest debate of the night between those who felt as many student groups as possible should be represented and those who felt some sort of officiality was necessary for the council to assign them representatives.

Wesley K. Gilchrist '98 said the resolution imbued the council with too much power to decide which groups should be represented.

"So we've left ourselves to decide which groups violate the University's policy? This body doesn't have the capability to do that," Gilchrist said.

Simons said the inclusion of more groups would be necessary lest some students be given greater representation than others.

"This causes double representation to begin with," Simons said. "All students are represented by several council members already in their districts and by adding student groups, we're giving double representation to students involved in those groups, so we need to extend that to as many groups as possible."

E. Michelle Drake '97-'96, who chairs the Civil Liberties Union of Harvard, closed the debate by saying that because she believes the anti-discrimination policy is linked to University politics, and using it as a criterion for council representation is inappropriate.

Drake said the council should represent all students, whether their views fall in line with those of the University or not.

The bill failed to achieve the two-thirds majority necessary for passage as a change to the council's by-laws.

Resignation

Jonathan P. Feeney '97, former Campus Life Committee co-chair and the council member who this fall was considered by many to be the front-runner for the council's presidency, announced his resignation last night.

Feeney said he was too busy with other activities this semester to continue his duties on the council.

Feeney said he has enjoyed his two years on the council, but is somewhat dismayed at the "divisiveness on the council, especially toward the Campus Life Committee."

Feeney said he plans to remain informally active on the Campus Life Committee

This year's mascot, as yet undefined, is to be a more abstract representation of school spirit.

The council also allotted $1,500 to provide a tent and music for a tailgate party at The Game, where council members will serve food to Harvard students free of charge.

Jenn R. Dean '96 and Tally Zingher '99 sponsored a resolution for a "Spirit Week," to take place the week before The Game.

Each day that week students will be encouraged to dress in accordance with themes, which will be decided later. Suggested themes included cross-dressing day, international day and super-heroes day. $50 was allocated for prizes to be awarded for the best costumes.

Closer Ties

The only bill not passed last night, sponsored by Dean and Eric M. Silberstein '98, was designed to foster closer ties between the council and the other student groups on campus.

The resolution would have forced council members to become liaisons between the council and each of the officially recognized student groups on campus.

Silberstein said this measure would give the council a greater mandate to act for student interests by giving groups a voice on the council.

Without this kind of representation, the council is not doing its job as a government, Silberstein aid.

"It's hard to get students: your district to care," he said. "Student groups already do care. This will put a good kind of pressure on the council, the kind of pressure every government needs."

Opposition to the bill first came from PUCC members Jeremy R. Jenkins '98-'97 and Marco B. Simons '97, who said they objected to the clause that groups must be officially recognized by the University.

Jenkins and Simons sponsored an amendment to the bill which, when eventually adopted, changed the bill to allow student groups which are not recognized to petition the council's vice-president for representation if they do not violate the University's anti-discrimination policies.

This amendment sparked the fiercest debate of the night between those who felt as many student groups as possible should be represented and those who felt some sort of officiality was necessary for the council to assign them representatives.

Wesley K. Gilchrist '98 said the resolution imbued the council with too much power to decide which groups should be represented.

"So we've left ourselves to decide which groups violate the University's policy? This body doesn't have the capability to do that," Gilchrist said.

Simons said the inclusion of more groups would be necessary lest some students be given greater representation than others.

"This causes double representation to begin with," Simons said. "All students are represented by several council members already in their districts and by adding student groups, we're giving double representation to students involved in those groups, so we need to extend that to as many groups as possible."

E. Michelle Drake '97-'96, who chairs the Civil Liberties Union of Harvard, closed the debate by saying that because she believes the anti-discrimination policy is linked to University politics, and using it as a criterion for council representation is inappropriate.

Drake said the council should represent all students, whether their views fall in line with those of the University or not.

The bill failed to achieve the two-thirds majority necessary for passage as a change to the council's by-laws.

Resignation

Jonathan P. Feeney '97, former Campus Life Committee co-chair and the council member who this fall was considered by many to be the front-runner for the council's presidency, announced his resignation last night.

Feeney said he was too busy with other activities this semester to continue his duties on the council.

Feeney said he has enjoyed his two years on the council, but is somewhat dismayed at the "divisiveness on the council, especially toward the Campus Life Committee."

Feeney said he plans to remain informally active on the Campus Life Committee