Epps Intervenes In U.C. Election

Dean of Students Archie C. Epps III held an emergency meeting yesterday morning with several Undergraduate Council members to discuss charges of conflicts of interest in the conduct of this year's general election.

Also, Epps said that council member Melissa Garza '94 lodged an official complaint in a letter this week regarding the preparation--or lack thereof--for the upcoming election.

While the deadline to declare candidacy for representative positions was originally set at 5 p.m. today, Epps has ordered an extension until Monday afternoon.

Many council members are now asking why the elections have not been publicized, and some are speculating that current executives were delaying the campus-wide announcements to aid the succesful elections of their supporters.

Within the last two weeks, Epps has addressed council Secretary Randall A. Fine '96 regarding his role in commandeering early election planning.

Garza said that Fine and council Chair Michael P. Beys '94 violated the council's new constitution formed last spring because a clause prohibits council members who plan to run for executive positions from taking charge of the initial election.

Hillary K. Anger '93-94, who drafted the conflict-of-interest election legislation last spring, said that whoever oversees the general election usually goes on to win the council-wide election for chair, held shortly after council meetings commence in October.

"It's an unfair advantage to have the person who is meeting all the incoming members and working most closely with them to be running for an executive position," Anger said in an interview yesterday.

Anger explained that first-term representatives can be easily influenced to vote for perhaps the one familiar face among the myriad of executive candidates.

Her amendment should have precluded both Fine and Beys, who are both reportedly planning to run for re-election to the Executive Council, from organizing the election in the absence of the constitutionally-designated election director, Vice Chair David L. Hanselman '94.

Late this summer, Hanselman decided to spend a year away from Harvard, leaving his position vacant.

As secretary, Fine claimed to be the constitutional successor to Hanselman, despite some council members' beliefs that Fine himself planned to run for the position of vice chair once the general election was over.

"I'm not saying that they were trying to rigthe election," said Mark D. McKay '94, anexecutive council member, yesterday. "Butdefinitely someone screwed up. I haven't even seenone poster."

McKay also could not recall when he wasinformed of the candidacy application deadline,another issue raised by Epps at yesterday's 8 a.m.meeting at the Faculty Club.

"I didn't know when applications were due untilyesterday," McKay lamented. "And I'm an executive.If I didn't know, I don't know who would."

Epps said he realized the dearth of studentswho were aware of this year's election procedurewhen several approached his office seekinginformation on the council and how to declarecandidacy for a representative position.

Anger voiced concern that the lack of publicitywould "limit the number of people who run for U.C.to those who are already on [the council] or tothose who have friends on it."

But Fine said the council has not been visibleon campus because it went through many proceduresand "wasted a lot of days" trying to choosesomeone to succeed Hanselman as election chair.

Treasurer Carey W. Gabay '94, who has declaredthat he will run for chair this year, saidyesterday that he approached Peter S. Cahn '96with an opportunity to join a "triumvirate,"proposed by Epps to oversee the election.

Cahn, who was a council member last year buthas decided not to run for re-election, would havejoined former Council chair Harvard Law Schoolfirst-year student David A. Aronberg '93 and amember of the Cambridge Board of Elections tosupervise the election.

Cahn confirmed yesterday that he was asked tojoin this group, but he declined because thesituation "smacked of scandal."

"This plan sounded wrong, evenunconstitutional," Cahn said. "I felt theexecutives who approached me did so out of adistrust of Mike Beys--that they wanted to somehowcounteract him, to keep him in line. I certainlydidn't want to be a part of that."

Cahn offered his perception that Beys "didn'twant anyone around who would check his power, butI was the person they settled on who he opposedthe least."

A substitute for Cahn was never proposedbecause the plan never took effect, Aronberg said.

"When I was approached I told the council thatI would be glad to help them out with this,"Aronberg said. "But I've had a hard time trying tofind out from anyone what's going on, which isstrange, especially since I'm supposedly running[the election]."

A council member who asked to remain anonymoustold The Crimson that Beys and Fine had heldseveral unpublicized executive meetings in recentdays in their attempts to maintain an unofficialhold over the election procedure.

One executive charges that Monday night'smeeting to decide who would run the election wasdeliberately announced late so that almost no-onecould attend.

McKay confirmed that executive's allegation. "Iheard that there was a meeting Monday," he said."But I wasn't able to make it."

Residential committee Chair Jennifer W. Grove'94 said there was another executive councilmeeting Wednesday night of last week, "but I wasnot invited to it. And I did think that wasunusual."

"No-one has told me anything," she added. "Butthe last thing I heard was that Mike Beys wasrunning the election."

McKay concurred that, as far as he knew, "Mikeand Randy were supposed to take care of it. Idon't know if that's constitutional or not."

Fine denied that he ever wanted to be involvedin the election in a letter he sent yesterday toAssistant Dean of Students Sarah Flatley.

"David [Hanselman's] decision not to return toschool officially made me the new Vice President,a position I not only was not elected to, but didnot desire at the time," Fine wrote.

Fine said yesterday that "the Dean of Studentsoffice felt that I was Vice [Chair] by rights,even though they knew I didn't want to do this."

But Epps said that, at the time, "Mr. Fine hadnot disclosed his intention to run for anexecutive position."

Epps added that it was not until yesterdaymorning that he had been made aware of Beys' planto run for re-election.

"Common sense dictates that if you're runningfor a position on the Council, you cannot run thegeneral election," Epps said.

The executive council source said Garza is theonly candidate for either President orVice-President (executive titles under the newconstitution) who has not yet been involved inplanning the election.

In her letter to Epps, Garza claimed that Beystold council member David V. Bonfili '96 Tuesdaynight that he had placed Fine and Gabay in chargeof campus-wide publicity.

She cited Fine in particular for his continualinvolvement in the election process, "in spite ofhis own admission that it is inappropriate."

The anonymous source said that Beys' disregardfor constitutional election standards stems fromhis own personal agenda.

The council executive told The Crimson that ata recent meeting, `Mike said `Well listen, itreally doesn't matter how we publicize thiselection because I'm going to get all of myfriends to run anyway."'

Beys refused to respond to repeated requestsfor comment

"I'm not saying that they were trying to rigthe election," said Mark D. McKay '94, anexecutive council member, yesterday. "Butdefinitely someone screwed up. I haven't even seenone poster."

McKay also could not recall when he wasinformed of the candidacy application deadline,another issue raised by Epps at yesterday's 8 a.m.meeting at the Faculty Club.

"I didn't know when applications were due untilyesterday," McKay lamented. "And I'm an executive.If I didn't know, I don't know who would."

Epps said he realized the dearth of studentswho were aware of this year's election procedurewhen several approached his office seekinginformation on the council and how to declarecandidacy for a representative position.

Anger voiced concern that the lack of publicitywould "limit the number of people who run for U.C.to those who are already on [the council] or tothose who have friends on it."

But Fine said the council has not been visibleon campus because it went through many proceduresand "wasted a lot of days" trying to choosesomeone to succeed Hanselman as election chair.

Treasurer Carey W. Gabay '94, who has declaredthat he will run for chair this year, saidyesterday that he approached Peter S. Cahn '96with an opportunity to join a "triumvirate,"proposed by Epps to oversee the election.

Cahn, who was a council member last year buthas decided not to run for re-election, would havejoined former Council chair Harvard Law Schoolfirst-year student David A. Aronberg '93 and amember of the Cambridge Board of Elections tosupervise the election.

Cahn confirmed yesterday that he was asked tojoin this group, but he declined because thesituation "smacked of scandal."

"This plan sounded wrong, evenunconstitutional," Cahn said. "I felt theexecutives who approached me did so out of adistrust of Mike Beys--that they wanted to somehowcounteract him, to keep him in line. I certainlydidn't want to be a part of that."

Cahn offered his perception that Beys "didn'twant anyone around who would check his power, butI was the person they settled on who he opposedthe least."

A substitute for Cahn was never proposedbecause the plan never took effect, Aronberg said.

"When I was approached I told the council thatI would be glad to help them out with this,"Aronberg said. "But I've had a hard time trying tofind out from anyone what's going on, which isstrange, especially since I'm supposedly running[the election]."

A council member who asked to remain anonymoustold The Crimson that Beys and Fine had heldseveral unpublicized executive meetings in recentdays in their attempts to maintain an unofficialhold over the election procedure.

One executive charges that Monday night'smeeting to decide who would run the election wasdeliberately announced late so that almost no-onecould attend.

McKay confirmed that executive's allegation. "Iheard that there was a meeting Monday," he said."But I wasn't able to make it."

Residential committee Chair Jennifer W. Grove'94 said there was another executive councilmeeting Wednesday night of last week, "but I wasnot invited to it. And I did think that wasunusual."

"No-one has told me anything," she added. "Butthe last thing I heard was that Mike Beys wasrunning the election."

McKay concurred that, as far as he knew, "Mikeand Randy were supposed to take care of it. Idon't know if that's constitutional or not."

Fine denied that he ever wanted to be involvedin the election in a letter he sent yesterday toAssistant Dean of Students Sarah Flatley.

"David [Hanselman's] decision not to return toschool officially made me the new Vice President,a position I not only was not elected to, but didnot desire at the time," Fine wrote.

Fine said yesterday that "the Dean of Studentsoffice felt that I was Vice [Chair] by rights,even though they knew I didn't want to do this."

But Epps said that, at the time, "Mr. Fine hadnot disclosed his intention to run for anexecutive position."

Epps added that it was not until yesterdaymorning that he had been made aware of Beys' planto run for re-election.

"Common sense dictates that if you're runningfor a position on the Council, you cannot run thegeneral election," Epps said.

The executive council source said Garza is theonly candidate for either President orVice-President (executive titles under the newconstitution) who has not yet been involved inplanning the election.

In her letter to Epps, Garza claimed that Beystold council member David V. Bonfili '96 Tuesdaynight that he had placed Fine and Gabay in chargeof campus-wide publicity.

She cited Fine in particular for his continualinvolvement in the election process, "in spite ofhis own admission that it is inappropriate."

The anonymous source said that Beys' disregardfor constitutional election standards stems fromhis own personal agenda.

The council executive told The Crimson that ata recent meeting, `Mike said `Well listen, itreally doesn't matter how we publicize thiselection because I'm going to get all of myfriends to run anyway."'

Beys refused to respond to repeated requestsfor comment