Students Will Decide Council Size, Term Bill

Although the candidates for the Undergraduate Council's presidency haven't even had their first debate, most of the ranking members in the council have already come forward with their endorsements--for either council treasurer Sterling P. A. Darling '01 and his running-mate Nehal S. Patel '02, or for Fentrice D. Driskell '01 and her running-mate John A. Burton '01.

Darling has received the most support from council leadership by far. Out of 10 potential endorsements from those in official council leadership positions--seven members of the executive board and three assistant committee chairs--two have endorsed Driskell, one says he will not make an endorsement, and six have endorsed Darling.

Darling's supporters point to Burton's truancy at fall council meetings. Burton was expelled from the council last night because, according to the body's constitution, he has missed too many meetings. However, non-council members are still allowed to run for the presidency and vice-presidency.

Council President Noah Z. Seton '00 has all but endorsed Darling.

"I'm a supporter of Sterling's, but I'm not going to make an official endorsement yet," he said.

The timing of the endorsements--before the first presidential debate, and when some say the campaign is still in its infancy--angered some council members.

"I think it's ridiculous that endorsements are being made before positions have been established," said council Vice President Kamil E. Redmond '00. "It's important to hear arguments before we make any endorsements because we should be setting a standard for the rest of the council."

Redmond says she has decided to endorse Driskell in response to the rush of endorsements supporting Darling.

Ted A. Swasey '00, a member of the council's executive board who says he is not making endorsements, says the endorsements are inevitable because presidential contenders are jockeying to position themselves for the race earlier and earlier each year.

"I had people ask me four weeks before the election who I was going to endorse," said Swasey, who ran for the council presidency last fall.

As council leaders flocked to Darling's camp, Redmond, in her capacity as vice president, was required to expel Burton, Driskell's running-mate, from the council for truancy.

Burton has missed six finance committee (FiCom) meetings and four council meetings, Redmond said. After five absences, a representative is removed from the council.

Members who are expelled from council can apply to the executive board to be reinstated.

When Redmond announced that Burton had been expelled, he was not there to hear it--he was absent.

Seton expressed frustration over Burton's frequent delinquence and said he wasn't sure if the executive board would vote to reinstate him.

"It upsets me. John was the treasurer before. He knows how important it is to go to FiCom," he said.

Kyle D. Hawkins '02, FiCom chair and Darling supporter, said he felt Burton's frequent absences called into question his competency to serve as vice president.

"If he's not committed enough that he missed six FiCom meetings in addition to four council meetings, how can he be committed enough to be vice president?" asked Hawkins, who is also a Crimson editor.

Burton wrote in an e-mail message that he had a section that conflicted unavoidably with FiCom meetings, and said his truancy should not affect his bid for the vice presidency.

"UC reps should attend meetings and when they can't there is a system that evaluates their performance," said Burton, who emphasized that he has surpassed the requirements of a FiCom member. "The UC would be at a serious loss if it let a conflict with section prevent me from working for students."

Neither Frank X. Leonard '01, Todd E. Plants '01 nor Benjamin W. Dreyfus '01, all presidential candidates, received any endorsements from those in official council leadership positions. They downplayed the significance of the endorsements, saying it demonstrated only their lack of appeal to entrenched council cliques.

"People who have been here for three years are going to endorse someone who has done the same," Leonard said. "I think it shows they're afraid an outsider might win."

Plants echoes concerns expressed by Redmond two weeks ago. Redmond described a council "cabal" consisting of council executive board members Michael D. Shumsky '00, John Paul Rollert '00 and Noah Z. Seton '00.

"I'm not close friends with the executive board," Plants said. "Noah and Sterling and Mike and [John Paul] are all friends."

Driskell noted that although she only received two endorsements from the executive board, nine of 13 delegation chairs--council members with the most votes from their respective Houses--have endorsed her.

"It speaks volumes that people elected to the top positions by students have put their support full force behind our ticket," she said.

But Hawkins questioned the importance of these endorsements.

"The people who are delegation chairs do not carry special authority on the council," he said.

According to a Crimson straw poll of 200 students yesterday, 34 percent of students said they were undecided about their picks for president and vice-president, while 37 percent said they were unlikely to vote at all.