Lowell Will Poll House Members On GM Reforms

The Lowell House Committee will ask House members in a poll this week how the Harvard Corporation should vote in an upcoming stockholders' challenge to General Motors this spring.

The referendum follows last week's announcement of a possible proxy fight between a group of Washington lawyers called "Campaign to Make General Motors Responsible" and the GM management. "Campaign GM," which is supported by Ralph Nader, is trying to bring nine resolutions calling for more social concern before the company's stockholders this May.

Harvard, with 287,000 shares of GM common stock, can choose to support either the GM management or the Washington lawyers. George F. Bennett '33. Treasurer of Harvard College, has indicated that the University sees no reason to oppose the GM management.

The Lowell House Committee decided last week that it was its responsibility to find out how House members felt about the GM issue. "We felt the students should be heard, so that the administration is at least aware of student opinion," John A. Shutkin '71. House committee chairman said. He will send the results of the poll to Bennett.

The Lowell House questionnaire asks students, "Do you feel that Harvard should take a stated position on this issue in support of the group of lawyers?"

Members of the Lowell House Committee feel that this referendum represents a more political role for the committee. "If House committees don't take a stand, then people, particularly the administration, assume that students in general are uncommitted," Stephen E Coit '71, a House Committee member, said.

The Lowell House Committee will probably organize similar referenda in "situations which we feel could possibly blow up and situations where to date students haven't been heard," Shutkin said. "It's about time that the House committee anticipated problems."

Shutkin said the committee decided to hold the referendum because attempts by House committees to remain uninvolved last spring led to "disasters." Last spring the Lowell House Committee came under attack for holding an election for a representative to the Committee of Fifteen. Some House committee members now feel that they were forced into taking a stand on the legitimacy of the Committee of Fifteen by agreeing to hold the election.

Some Lowell House Committee members now see their role as representing the opinions-even on political issues-of the House members. "No instituted body around here is apolitical. It can't be." Coit said.