Undergrads Fill Duke Ranks

If pundits can dub the Harvard faculty the Dukakis mafia, then they may have reason to call Harvard students the candidate's henchmen.

One of the two national student coordinators of the Dukakis campaign graduated from the College in 1987, and five of the nine regional coordinators in the student arm of the campaign are Harvard undergraduates.

"Harvard students are particularly politically aware and active," said Ariela J. Gross '87, who co-heads the national student campaign for Dukakis. "It's also a very Democratic school."

Linda D. Rottenberg '90, co-coordinator of the Dukakis effort on campus, said "the fact that Dukakis' headquarters are in Boston allows us to be more involved in the national campaign."

About 1000 Harvard students have signed up to volunteer for Dukakis, according to Gross, who said that a comparable number of students expressed interest in working for the Mondale-Ferraro campaign of 1984.

But according to Rick S. Louie '90, co-chairman of Harvard Students for Bush, Dukakis' large Cambridge student contingent reflects the predominantly liberal slant of the campaign.

"Dukakis is relying too much on advice from Harvard," said Louie. "Harvard students are more liberal than most students in this country. The fact that a lot of Harvard students have leadership roles in the campaign and may have positions in a Dukakis administration--to me, that's a problem."

Timothy A. Rea '90, head of the Harvard Republican Club and the Bush's Massachusetts Youth Coordinator, is the highest-ranking Harvard student in the vice-president's campaign.

Harvard students are also heavily involved in College Democrats of America (CDA), the student arm of the Democratic National Committee, according to Jonathan S. Miller '89, CDA executive director.

Miller said this week that CDA and the Dukakisstudent campaign are waging a voter turnout drive,which hopes to register 100,000 students. Millerspent last semester in Washington as nationaldirector of Students for [Albert J.] Gore ['69]and served as CDA political director from April toAugust.

"I'd like to get students involved in campaignsand show them that they can make a differnce--toshare what I learned from working for Gore,"Miller said.

Jonathan D. Hacker '90, who co-directs theregistration drive, said turning out the collegevote can be a difficult task.

"Registering is somewhat more difficult forcollege students; they're not at home and areunfamiliar with the new environment and are busy,"said Hacker. "What we want to try to do is removethose barriers."

The group plans to advise students on obtainingstate registration rules, and getting officials tocome to campuses to register students on-site. CDAofficials said 50 large campuses in several keystates are targeted for the project.

"Registrtation is the biggest barrier tovoting--especially for college students," saidMarsha N. Adler, legislative representative withPeople For the American Way, a Washington-basedpublic interest group.

Adler said 50 percent of 18 to 24 year-oldstudents voted in the 1984 presidential election,compared with an overall voter-turnout of 53.1percent.

Information tables on Monday in House dininghalls and the Union will inaugurate the Dukakisregistration drive at Harvard