RUS Elects New Co-Presidents

The newly elected co-presidents of the Radcliffe Union of Students (RUS) said yesterday that the group has a responsibility to use its financial resources to be an umbrella organization for groups on campus which address women's needs.

Megan Lewis '95 and Anne Guiney '95 were elected last night at Agassiz House in Radcliffe yard at an RUS meeting attended by about 20 students.

Guiney, the outgoing treasurer of RUS, and Lewis ran together against Ashwini Sukthankar '95, the outgoing secretary.

Lewis and Guiney see RUS primarily as an organization which provides grants. "We have a tremendous amount of resources and a tremendous responsibility to reach [as many women as possible]," Lewis said.

"We are a funding organization and a clearinghouse for ideas," Guiney said. The co-presidents, she added, would like to see RUS reach more women and be accessible to more viewpoints, movements and ideas.

"What this does not mean is that we want RUS to be an open bag," Lewis said. "We want RUS to be active."

By providing the money for groups and movements, said Lewis and Guiney, RUS will create an atmosphere of political activism on campus.

"If we can serve as a forum [for discussion], other groups will arise," Lewissaid.

Guiney said she would like RUS to addresswomen's issues in new ways through the grantprocess, mentioning funding for the arts as oneexample.

"We've got to work on new solutions to oldproblems," she said.

Guiney said that despite the small number ofstudents who come to meetings, RUS should both"financially and intellectually support" all womenon campus.

Sukthankar characterized her plat-form asalmost the complete opposite of Lewis' andGuiney's.

"The role of RUS in my opinion [is] social,political, women's advocacy and more," saidSukthankar in her position paper. "While we aretechnically student government, it's time thecampus saw us as something more than a dispenserof grant money."

RUS should be more of the "women's center thatHarvard won't provide," Sukthankar said.

Sukthankar said she hopes to work with Lewisand Guiney at RUS to achieve her goals. She saidshe thinks that RUS can fulfill the politicalroles she had envisioned in her platform under thenew co-presidents.

I think I could achieve a women's space atHarvard-Radcliffe within the framework that [Lewisand Guiney] are trying to create," Sukthankar saidafter the election. "At least I hope to try."

Also elected were Anna L. Gibb '96, treasurer,Courtney R. Baker '96, secretary and Sharon L.Wing '97, publicity chair

Guiney said she would like RUS to addresswomen's issues in new ways through the grantprocess, mentioning funding for the arts as oneexample.

"We've got to work on new solutions to oldproblems," she said.

Guiney said that despite the small number ofstudents who come to meetings, RUS should both"financially and intellectually support" all womenon campus.

Sukthankar characterized her plat-form asalmost the complete opposite of Lewis' andGuiney's.

"The role of RUS in my opinion [is] social,political, women's advocacy and more," saidSukthankar in her position paper. "While we aretechnically student government, it's time thecampus saw us as something more than a dispenserof grant money."

RUS should be more of the "women's center thatHarvard won't provide," Sukthankar said.

Sukthankar said she hopes to work with Lewisand Guiney at RUS to achieve her goals. She saidshe thinks that RUS can fulfill the politicalroles she had envisioned in her platform under thenew co-presidents.

I think I could achieve a women's space atHarvard-Radcliffe within the framework that [Lewisand Guiney] are trying to create," Sukthankar saidafter the election. "At least I hope to try."

Also elected were Anna L. Gibb '96, treasurer,Courtney R. Baker '96, secretary and Sharon L.Wing '97, publicity chair