Campus Groups Throw Weight Behind Candidates

Last spring, Undergraduate Council treasurer Sterling P. A. Darling '01

voted to welcome the Reserve Officer's Training Corps (ROTC) back to campus, despite the vigorous lobbying of the Bisexual, Gay, Lesbian, Transgender and Supporters' Alliance (BGLTSA).

On Monday night, the tables were turned, and Darling was the one doing the asking--for their endorsement of his presidential candidacy.

As the council campaign begins to reach its final days, candidates are not being shy when seeking support from students across campus.

Opponent Benjamin Dreyfus '01 touts the support of the Society of Physics Students, where he serves as treasurer. Vice presidential candidate Benjamin Wikler '03 has had a supporter clod in front the Science Center on stilts, handing out fliers to passers-by.

Student groups, whose stamps of approval often carry weight among both members and other students, have spent hours since Dec. 1, the campaign's official start, interviewing candidates, grilling them on issues from anti-homophobia measures to College funding for campus activities.

In their Holworthy Hall basement office, members of the BGLTSA's executive board sat on pillows and couches and met with members of three council tickets--Darling and running mate Nehal S. Patel '02, Todd E. Plants '01 and Wikler, and John A. Burton '01.

"Student groups are the lifeblood of our community," Darling told the BGLTSA executive board.

After the meeting, the executive board talked privately about the candidates for a short period, and then decided to split their endorsement between two tickets, choosing Plants for president and Burton for vice president.

"We found in the end that the two progressive campaigns--Plants and Wikler, and Driskell and Burton--both showed a great deal of support for the issues we discussed," wrote the BGLTSA executive board in an e-mail message to its members. "In the end, however, we decided that a split endorsement would present the candidates who best represented the needs of the BGLT community and its supporters."

While candidates often run together for council elections, the offices of president and vice president are officially elected separately.

The campaigns of Fentrice Driskell '01 and Burton lead the field, with endorsements from the Black Students Association (BSA), the Black Men's Forum, the liberal magazine Perspective, Radcliffe Union of Students (RUS), Students for Choice, the Environmental Action Committee (EAC), and one-half of the BGLTSA's split endorsement.

"These groups lay the foundation for a wide-ranging coalition of students that will from the basis of the Driskell-Burton campaign," Burton said. "We are forming a strong progressive coalition."

"We know John and that he has a strong interest in women's issues," said Kathryn B. Clancy '00, co-president of RUS. "We're very progressive, so Driskell and Burton were the natural choice."

Both candidates spoke last week to the BSA, urging members to support the campaign.

"We're not about appealing to just minorities," Driskell said. "We're looking at campus-wide issues."

BSA president Alicia E. Johnson '01 said the group decided to endorse the pair not only because they are active members of the organization but also because they are the most qualified.

"The quality of the Driskell-Burton ticket is unparalleled," Johnson said. "They have the experience, know-how, diligence and vision to revamp the Undergraduate Council to make it reflect the voices and interests of Harvard's entire student body. There are no empty promises in their platforms; they have the tools it takes to implement change."

Coming in an unlikely second in endorsements is Dreyfus, who in addition to the support of his fellow Society of Physics Students, has also gained an endorsement from the staff of the Demon, a quarterly campus humor magazine.

Presidential candidate Frank X. Leonard '01 and his running mate Catherine E. Tenney '01 have won the endorsement of the H Club, the College's spirit group.

Other candidates have had greater difficulty in receiving endorsements.

"A lot of the groups are reluctant to endorse because they are not political," Plants said.

Plants and Wikler have used different methods to secure student endorsements. Both have been canvassing the campus this week, speaking to students in dining halls and dorm rooms and compiling signatures of those who plan to support them in the election. The candidates say they have over 800 signatures.

"I think the sheer number of supporters is indicative of how popular our platform is," Plants said. "Students seem to appreciate our healthy balance of services and politics."

Some candidates also have used electronic communication to spread their names, building elaborate Web sites and asking supporters to include a tag line with the candidates' names and campaign slogans at the end of their e-mail messages.

While all of the candidates are still actively seeking endorsements, hoping to gain support after last night's debate, some downplay their importance.

"A campaign definitely can't be based on them," said Darling, who has not received an endorsement from any student group. "It contributes, but it doesn't substitute for getting out there and meeting people."