Lewis Criticizes Council's Veto Bill

Only months after agreeing to make formal rulings on Undergraduate Council legislation, Dean of the College Harry R. Lewis '68 said he now believes students would be better off voicing their concerns through informal channels and faculty committees.

The council passed a bill Feb. 26 known as the Nelson-Grimmelmann act, which asked Lewis either to sign into college law or veto all future legislation.

However, Lewis has been discouraged by the results of the act, because council members have given him legislation in its final form without consulting him during the bills' early stages.

"I have urged the U.C. to bring matters about which they are concerned to me or the other Deans for informal discussion," Lewis said. "I think that is a more productive way for them to air their concerns."

Lewis has rejected all three of the council's bills submitted to him thus far, including his recent decision to veto a proposal to ban the annual ROTC commissioning ceremony in Harvard Yard.

Presidential candidate Rudd W. Coffey '97 said that he does not think the Nelson-Grimmelmann act is a success because it does not provide the students with a strong enough voice.

"I think Dean Lewis is not taking the act seriously, so it's not working out," Coffey said. "What we had before was an informal process that was ineffective. What we have now is a formal process which is ineffective."

And Wesley B. Gilchrist '98 said Lewis has not fully considered the legislation the council has given him.

"I don't think it is a good thing that he uses technicalities to skirt the issues which are truly at stake," Gilchrist said, referring to the ROTC bill which Lewis rejected on the grounds that a compromise had been worked out the year before.

But many students, including one of the authors of the act, think that the council is misusing the bill in order to create conflict with Lewis.

"My guess is that the motivation here was to use it as a tool to embarrass the dean," said Jeremy R. Jenkins '97-'98, who resigned from the council after it passed the Nelson-Grimmelmann bill. "But that seems a rather poor premise, considering that Dean Lewis has already shown that he is quite willing to go against student opinion to support his principles."

Bill sponsor Eric M. Nelson '99 thinks the problem has not been the conception of the bill, but its gross misuse by council members.

"When we signed this bill, Dean Lewis was the first dean ever to agree to give the U.C. a fairly significant amount of political capital," said Nelson, who is a Crimson editor. "But I think if the bill is going to have significant life span, then its provisions have to be treated by the council with more responsibility."

Brian R. Blais '97, vice president of the council, says he sees the bill as one which has not come to pass as it was envisioned.

"It is a well-conceived idea," Blais said. "I think he thought we would talk to him more before we introduced legislation, as it is we sort of spring things on him.... I understand where he is coming from."

But Robert B. Wolinsky '98-'97 said the unwillingness of administrators to listen creates the need for a formal process.

"If certain administrative figures become more interested in students rather than just giving them a perfunctory thought, maybe we wouldn't need the Grimmelmann-Nelson act," Wolinsky said.

But Blais said he thinks there are still advantages to the bill.

"At least this way we get a specific reaction from the dean. Before, our legislation had a tendency to float and die," Blais said.

In a Feb. 26 letter sent by Lewis to to council President Robert M. Hyman '98-'97, Lewis urged the council to engage in early and frequent dialogue with the administration.

"I have repeatedly urged student leaders to consult me and other deans early and often, rather than coming up with ideas and committing them to words in relative isolation," Lewis wrote.

James T. Grimmelmann '99-'98, co-author of the bill, says the problems with its implementation have been Lewis' or the council's fault.

"We operate very openly with an eye towards direct communication. We're not afraid to bring out into the open an issue that will divide us," Grimmelmann said. "The college administration operates on a consensus system.... When they actually enter a meeting they already know what's going to happen."

"We are trying to bring two fairly divergent systems together, so there are going to be bumps at first," Grimmelmann added.

Lewis also said that student-faculty committees such as College Life, House Life and Undergraduate Education are valuable resources for student input

"I have repeatedly urged student leaders to consult me and other deans early and often, rather than coming up with ideas and committing them to words in relative isolation," Lewis wrote.

James T. Grimmelmann '99-'98, co-author of the bill, says the problems with its implementation have been Lewis' or the council's fault.

"We operate very openly with an eye towards direct communication. We're not afraid to bring out into the open an issue that will divide us," Grimmelmann said. "The college administration operates on a consensus system.... When they actually enter a meeting they already know what's going to happen."

"We are trying to bring two fairly divergent systems together, so there are going to be bumps at first," Grimmelmann added.

Lewis also said that student-faculty committees such as College Life, House Life and Undergraduate Education are valuable resources for student input