Council Gets Low Approval Ratings

Nearly three-fifths of Harvard students feel the Undergraduate Council needs improvement, and another fifth feels the council should be dissolved entirely, according to a recent Crimson poll.

In a telephone survey of 396 College students taken last week, 58 percent of the respondents said the council "needs improvement." Only 15 percent said they felt that the council "works fine," and 20 percent said it "needs to be dissolved." The poll had a margin of error of 2.5 percents.

Satisfaction with the council was highest among first-years, with 27 percent reporting that the council was working fine. This figure dwindled to 3.7 percent among seniors.

First-years were also least eager to dissolve the council, with only 7.5 percent responding affirmatively versus 25 percent of sophomores, juniors and seniors.

Council members yesterday acknowledged student dissatisfaction and the need for reform.

Mark D. McKay '94, one of four council members on the recently formed Undergraduate Reevaluation Committee, said student support for reform was high "probably because, for the most part, they're right. It does need improvement."

The committee, chaired by Randall A. Fine '96, was formed last month to examine existing council policies and structure. It will include a total of four council members, as well as four non-council members.

And Steven N. Kalkanis '93, former vice chair of the council, said the high number of respondents calling for reforms is a positive development, "a reflection of how much the U.C. has grown."

"Students' expectations of us are increasing," Kalkanis said. "Our peers want us to do more. That's a reflection of our enhanced role on campus, and that's a good thing."

But Council Chair Michael P. Beys '94 said he thinks student dissatisfaction is partly caused by students not knowing what the council does.

"I think there's a communication barrier," Beys said. "We do a lot of things, a lot of activities, student services. We have trouble showing it off. It's a superficial problem."

McKay agreed, saying many of the council's recent accomplishments--like the extension of library hours during reading period--have not been publicized.

Beys emphasized that the committee's reevaluation should be a "philosophical analysis," asking questions like "What should student government's role be?" and "To what extent should the council exert itself?"

The reevaluation committee will hold a meeting open to all students Thursday at 9 p.m. to address reform issues.

"Everything is on the table," Fine said. "The whole constitution, the bylaws, whether the U.C. needs to exist."

Fine said he expects that the committee to discuss numerous issues, including popular election of the council chair, finance reforms, changing committee structures and number of members, and term bill fees.

"This is the biggest thing of the semester. We're going from the committee stuff to nuts and bolts," Beys said. "I just see it as progress. It's a real progressive move."