500 Students Legislate at Harvard Model Congress

High school students this week will get a chance to solve the nation's budget crisis at a newly formed Harvard student-initiated Model Congress.

Since Thursday, more than 500 students have been convening at the Marriott Hotel to pass bills, discuss defense strategies and debate labor policies at the first-ever Harvard-hosted conference.

Representatives from more than 50 high schools nationwide and about 40 Harvard undergraduates are participating in the event, which simulates various Senate and House committees. The Harvard students are staffing the various committees as chairmen and mediators.

"It's a hell of a production," said John T. Drisko, a faculty adviser for the four-day event. Drisko, a social studies teacher at Salmouth High School in Salmouth, Mass., joined representatives from schools as far away as California and Florida.

The Model Congress' primary goal is to teach students about "American legislature: how it works, why it works, and what its limitations are," said Alan L. Crane '86. Crane, along with Neil B. Morganbesser '86, is co-president of the Harvard Model Congress.

U.S. Secretary of Energy John S. Herrington kicked off the convention Thursday with a message analogous to the State of the Union address.

Harvard's Model Congress was instituted last spring as an alternative to the Model United Nations, which was turning away interested students because of lack of space, Crane said.

"This is infinitely superior," Crane said. Model Congress places the emphasis on discussion over debate, the Mather House resident said. Model Congress also has "the advantage of being less esoteric. People are more familiar with domestic issues."

As part of their agenda of activities, the group visited Harvard's campus yesterday. The tour included visits to lectures and the admissions office.