Feeling that the old Student Council did not fully represent the student body in the undergraduate activities and that it did not accomplish the purpose for which it was instituted, the Nominating Committee, with the help of President Lowell, Dean Wells and others, have worked out the following constitution for a new Council.
The old Council was too small to be representative and yet too large to really accomplish anything of great importance, as it was impossible to assemble the twenty-one members at one time.
To remedy this a Council of considerable size has been proposed, thus including as many as possible of the various College activities. It was necessary, however, to have a small body to direct the work of the Council and to act for the Council as a whole at all times. This has been accomplished by an Executive Committee of seven which is elected from the Council by its members. This body will be an active one, representing the Council at all times. It will meet regularly and often, and will be the body directly accessible to the officers of the University.
At the meetings of the Council as a whole, reports of the Executive Committee will be presented and any suggestions by members of the Council will be acted upon. In this way it is hoped that a large representative Council can be obtained with a small executive body which can be easily reached and which can do a reasonable amount of consistent work.
The ratification of this plan remains for the respective classes and will be done by voting for members of the Council from their respective classes in the coming week. The Senior class will consider the plan at its next meeting, electing members at that time.
Constitution of Student Council.
The purpose of this Council is thoroughly to co-operate with the Faculty in raising the general intellectual standard at Harvard, as stated in the undergraduate petition to the Faculty dated April 29, 1908, to bring before the governing bodies of the University expression of undergraduate opinion on subjects pertaining to the University, and to co-operate with the Athletic Committee in eradicating any evils in the conduct of athletics. The attainment of this purpose is to be effected in part by direct jurisdiction over individual students, and in part by creating the general sentiment that it is a question of individual and college honor to maintain a strict attention to scholastic duties.
A. Membership.
I. The Council is to be composed as follows: (1) The four class presidents, (2) the captains of the four major teams, (3) the chief executive officers of the Advocate, the CRIMSON, the Illustrated Magazine, the Lampoon, and the Monthly Magazine, (4) the vice-president of the Union, (5) three representatives from the Phi Beta Kappa elected by its members, (6) twenty-four members from the College at large elected by their respective classes as follows: 9 Seniors, 7 Juniors, 5 Sophomores, 3 Freshmen (to be elected at the time of the election of class officers.)
II. Those men having membership in the Council by virtue of undergraduate office shall retain their membership until the end of the academic year in which the qualifying office was held. The members elected from the College at large shall retain their membership until their successors are elected. No undergraduate who is not in good standing at the College Office shall be eligible for membership. No member of the Council who fails to maintain good standing shall continue as a member of the Council. The Student Council shall appoint members to fill any vacancies that may occur.
B. Meetings.
I. The Council shall meet at least twice in each academic year. The first meeting shall be held within one week after the annual election of members. The president shall be empowered to call special meetings.
II. A quorum shall consist of a majority of the members.
C. Officers.
The officers of the Council shall be a president, a vice-president, and a secretary, all of whom shall be Seniors. The president shall preside at all meetings, and shall have the power to cast a vote only in the case of a tie. The vice-president shall, in the absence of the president, assume all his powers. The secretary shall perform all the duties regularly pertaining to that office. All officers shall be elected at the first meeting of the Student Council after the election of members.
D. Committees.
I. Executive Committee. There shall be an Executive Committee of seven members, of whom five shall be Seniors and two Juniors. The officers of the Council shall be ex-officiis members of the Executive Committee. The two remaining Seniors and two Juniors shall be elected at the first meeting of the Council after the election of members. The Executive Committee shall carry on the business of the Council, shall report on its actions to the Council at the first regular meeting of the Council subsequent to the actions in question, and shall have this report published in the CRIMSON as soon after its presentation as expedient. The Executive Committee shall have the power to require any member of the Council to investigate and report to it on any subject in the field of the Council's activity. The Executive Committee shall hold office from its election until the final meeting of the Council in the same academic year. The Executive Committee shall be empowered to fill any vacancy which may occur among its members. The Executive Committee shall meet at least twice in each month during its term of office.
II. Nominating Committee. A Nominating Committee of seven members shall be appointed by the president of the Council before June 1 of each year. The Nominating Committee shall consist of the two Junior members of the Executive Committee, and three Juniors and two Sophomores appointed from the Council at large. The Nominating Committee shall, after the first two weeks of the academic year and before the class elections, make nominations from which the members at large are to be elected by their respective classes. Twelve Seniors, 10 Juniors and 5 Sophomores shall be nominated. The Nominating Committee shall assume all the functions and powers of the Executive Committee from the first day of June to the time of the election of an Executive Committee by the Council in the following Fall.
E. Powers of the Council.
Same as those of former Council
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1911 CLASS ELECTIONS TODAY