Davis No Neophyte To Political Battles

Anjalee C. Davis '96 has spent only one semester at Harvard, but she has already become a household name on campus.

A former member of the Undergraduate Council who resigned in February to take a semester off, Davis has risen to fame by organizing the petition effort that forced last week's referendum on the council's recent $10 term bill fee hike.

Campus politics are nothing new to Davis, who was a member of the student transferring to Harvard last semester. By her second month here, Davis had been elected co-president of her entryway in North House, a member of the council and had run for council president and for chair of a committee.

Since resigning, Davis has devoted a substantial part of her time to fighting for a referendum on five issues she sees as essential to council reform.

Davis' original petition called for a campus-wide vote on the proposed fee hike, the ability to waive the council fee easily, the distribution of unspent council funds to house committees, popular election of council executives and semiannual general elections.

She says these last two items are her most important issues.

"This is not about a term bill hike," Davis says. "This is about whether we can reform our student government."

Her vision of student government comes from her experiences at Wellesley College, where she spent two years before transferring to Harvard in the fall.

Davis says she served for a year as contact senator for her house and was elected house president in her sophomore year.

At Wellesley, she says, student government is "responsive, accountable and a place where students can come and speak."

Davis says when she arrived at

Harvard, she was disappointed by the reputationand structure of the council.

"I was shocked when I got to Harvard," shesays. "I expected a student government that dealtwith real issues on campus."

Davis proceeded to lead a relentless campaignfor the council, which included several doordrops,postering and even direct mailing during thethree-day election to students who hadn't yetvoted, according to North House residents.

She ran on a platform advocating communicationbetween house delegates and constituents, andedged former council Secretary Randall A. Fine '96for the last of five seats in North House.

Surprise Candidate

At her first meeting ever, Davis began hercouncil career with an unannounced bid for thepresidency.

"It was mostly symbolic, because two-thirds ofthe council was new," she said. "I wanted to getout the message that we could make a break andbecome a new council."

Justin C. Label '97 says he voted for Davis forpresident and again in her unsuccessful bid forchair of the Student Affairs Committee.

Label says Davis "appealed very strongly to newmembers."

But today, many of Davis' one-time supporterson the council oppose her, largely because of herantagonistic behavior in recent weeks.

"I suppose if she was really interested inthose issues, if she wanted to use them foranything other than her political gain, she wouldhave brought them [up through the council]," Labelsays. "But I really don't think she does."

A Stormy Council Term

Council members relating stories about Davismost often tell about her refusal to apply for aseat on the Reevaluation Committee, whosemembership is split evenly between council membersand non-council members.

And Davis most likely would have been acceptedto the committee since only six delegates appliedfor the five seats reserved on the committee forcouncil members.

But Davis says she was upset that the councilrefused to open the committee to anyone who wantedto join.

"It's not about me," she says of her refusal tosubmit an application. "It's about ourconstituents being represented."

While on the council, Davis publicly referredto the members of the committee as Gabay's"cronies," and described the committee as being"anti-reform."

John Mann '92-'94, a Re-evaluation Committeemember who voted against Gabay in the fall,disagrees with Davis' assessment.

"Everyone on that committee has their ownagenda," Mann says. "We're all from differentangles."

Mann calls Davis' criticism of the committeehypocritical.

"She refused to be part of the reevaluationprocess, and afterwards, she said it was flawed,"Mann says.

Other council members say the way Davisconducts herself upsets delegates.

"Anjalee had some good ideas," says Garza. "Butby presenting them repeatedly, she probablyannoyed council members."

"Her way of bringing up issues has affected themessage she's carrying," Garza adds.

Davis' dramatic out-of-order presentation ofher petition to Gabay two weeks ago prompted onecouncil member to criticize her for initiating a"three-ring circus."

If current trends are any indication, Daviswill continue to make headlines with her dramatic,Soundbite bite ridden style of condemning thecouncil.

She has recently initiated a third petitiondrive, giving students the option to signseparately for each of her five original issues.

But most council members feel Davis hasambitions beyond reform of the student government.

"She's making a big deal out of issues thatweren't issues before," Mann says, accusing Davisof riding the term bill hike "like a wave " to gether agenda across.

"She's got a stronger political bent thananyone on the council," Mann adds. "She'scompletely looking out for her own personalinterest."

But Davis disagrees, saying she doesn't "meetmy own standards" for a popularly elected councilpresident.

"I want council executives of proven stature inthe community," Davis says

Harvard, she was disappointed by the reputationand structure of the council.

"I was shocked when I got to Harvard," shesays. "I expected a student government that dealtwith real issues on campus."

Davis proceeded to lead a relentless campaignfor the council, which included several doordrops,postering and even direct mailing during thethree-day election to students who hadn't yetvoted, according to North House residents.

She ran on a platform advocating communicationbetween house delegates and constituents, andedged former council Secretary Randall A. Fine '96for the last of five seats in North House.

Surprise Candidate

At her first meeting ever, Davis began hercouncil career with an unannounced bid for thepresidency.

"It was mostly symbolic, because two-thirds ofthe council was new," she said. "I wanted to getout the message that we could make a break andbecome a new council."

Justin C. Label '97 says he voted for Davis forpresident and again in her unsuccessful bid forchair of the Student Affairs Committee.

Label says Davis "appealed very strongly to newmembers."

But today, many of Davis' one-time supporterson the council oppose her, largely because of herantagonistic behavior in recent weeks.

"I suppose if she was really interested inthose issues, if she wanted to use them foranything other than her political gain, she wouldhave brought them [up through the council]," Labelsays. "But I really don't think she does."

A Stormy Council Term

Council members relating stories about Davismost often tell about her refusal to apply for aseat on the Reevaluation Committee, whosemembership is split evenly between council membersand non-council members.

And Davis most likely would have been acceptedto the committee since only six delegates appliedfor the five seats reserved on the committee forcouncil members.

But Davis says she was upset that the councilrefused to open the committee to anyone who wantedto join.

"It's not about me," she says of her refusal tosubmit an application. "It's about ourconstituents being represented."

While on the council, Davis publicly referredto the members of the committee as Gabay's"cronies," and described the committee as being"anti-reform."

John Mann '92-'94, a Re-evaluation Committeemember who voted against Gabay in the fall,disagrees with Davis' assessment.

"Everyone on that committee has their ownagenda," Mann says. "We're all from differentangles."

Mann calls Davis' criticism of the committeehypocritical.

"She refused to be part of the reevaluationprocess, and afterwards, she said it was flawed,"Mann says.

Other council members say the way Davisconducts herself upsets delegates.

"Anjalee had some good ideas," says Garza. "Butby presenting them repeatedly, she probablyannoyed council members."

"Her way of bringing up issues has affected themessage she's carrying," Garza adds.

Davis' dramatic out-of-order presentation ofher petition to Gabay two weeks ago prompted onecouncil member to criticize her for initiating a"three-ring circus."

If current trends are any indication, Daviswill continue to make headlines with her dramatic,Soundbite bite ridden style of condemning thecouncil.

She has recently initiated a third petitiondrive, giving students the option to signseparately for each of her five original issues.

But most council members feel Davis hasambitions beyond reform of the student government.

"She's making a big deal out of issues thatweren't issues before," Mann says, accusing Davisof riding the term bill hike "like a wave " to gether agenda across.

"She's got a stronger political bent thananyone on the council," Mann adds. "She'scompletely looking out for her own personalinterest."

But Davis disagrees, saying she doesn't "meetmy own standards" for a popularly elected councilpresident.

"I want council executives of proven stature inthe community," Davis says