The Key should be a self-sufficient and autonomous organization. It is to be hoped that its efforts to win financial independence will succeed. But the Council vice-president should be able to work with the Key as with other groups to gear its program into the college scene.

Freshman Activities

It would be unfortunate if the Council's control of freshman activities were extended. Harvard is a highly individualistic society; mass functions are almost unheard of, small social units, either formal or informal, are rare, and generally speaking most men are highly proficient in one line. In freshman year however, these "professional" interests are more apt to be latent and thus face greater competition from other ones; the fundamental concepts of a liberal education rest on this assumption.

The Council's role should extend, therefore only to the point where it should Beet that there is ample opportunity for freshman participation in all kinds of activities, especially those such as athletics and Union functions where the emphasis is chiefly social. The Council should not attempt to unduly regulate any activity directly nor should it use its influence to overstate its immediate case to the freshman class, as perhaps has been done in previous charity drives.

Committees

The work of the Student Council is largely done by its Committees; hence, the effectiveness of the Council depends upon the committees.

It has been said that the Council has spread itself out too far over a wide variety of projects and tasks and so has lessened its effectiveness. A solution to this might be the early formulation of the objectives for the year and the shaping of the committee structure to carry out those objectives. This would leave the President--and it is suggested the Secretary and Treasurer also--a wide range of discretion in setting up the Council for the year, but having taken into account the interests and capabilities of the membership, they will give the Council the structure in which it will operate most effectively.

This relates to the chief purpose of the Council as this writer sees it to be, namely as an intermediary between the Dean's Office and the undergraduate student body. Long range reports and routine handling of undergraduate projects both have an important place in fulfilling that purpose, and neither should be emphasized to the exclusion of the other. This calls for objectivity and foresight on the part of the directing force of the Council, namely the three officers. It is obvious that the permanent committees will handle the routine activities and that the more flexible committee structure can be directed toward special projects and reports. In this way the two functions of the Council can be carried out and the interest and capabilities of the members given greater consideration.

The charge to a committee should be clearer than is often the case at present. University Hall has said that committee chairmen often come to discuss problems without knowing just what they want to find out--in short they are not clear on just what their job is. Not only could this kind of situation be prevented, but the committee could be given a wider scope for its won discretion, if the charge were quite clear.

Election and Membership

Due to the high quality at appointed members in recent years, this Committee favors are appointed seats on the Council. This should be possible without destroying the Council's democratic base. There are many excellent men who are lost to the Council because of the necessity for election and the political overtones attached to any election.

Public Relations

The first pact that the investigator comes across in this subject is that, roughly speaking the student body goes not care about the Council.

Only the red-hot issues will draw the public. Hence the number of public meetings is naturally limited by the number of good topics.

Probably it would be a good idea to eliminate the preliminary report-making and treasurer's report-reading that is so dear to the legislative mind. Perhaps the special public meetings might be held on nights other than Monday.

Probably the best thing the Council has done publicity-wise in the past few years, was the Poskanzer Report.

It is no coincidence that the Poskanzer Report was also one of the best things the Council has done in these years. The moral, once again, is simple; do good and significant work and you will get good publicity