CHUL Endorses Special Voting Plan

Members of the Student Assembly met last night with representatives of several campus minority groups to discuss minority representation in the yet-to-be-formed undergraduate governing body, the Student Council.

The 14 students present at the meeting--held to draw up a constitution for the council--debated ways to promote minority participation on the council, including assured minority seats and a proportional election systems that would increase the likelihood of minorities' elections.

The group reached no formal decisions and will meet later this week to continue the discussion.

While some students at the meeting said they would support the proportional voting

In perhaps its last meeting ever, the Committee on Houses, and Undergraduate Life (CHUL) yesterday unanimously endorsed a voting system making minority representation likely in student elections.

But CHUL, in approving the Dowling Committee's plan for student government, failed to attach an amendment formalizing such a voting procedure.

The endorsement of the Hare proportional representation voting system came only after an amendment requiring the procedure in the Plan had gained majority--but not the required two-thirds--CHUL support.

The Hare system, used in Cambridge city elections and by the Faculty Council and Harvard Coop, permits voters to list choices in order of preference, and allows groups to give more electoral weight to a particular candidate or slate of candidates.

"The mechanism guarantees that any group which wishes to band together may elect people exact to their proportion."

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