In its first action of the year, the Harvard Undergraduate Council voted Wednesday night to combine the bi-annual blood drive and the Combined Charities drive under HUC auspices.

Each of the drives will retain its own chairman, but an overall "drives chairman" will be chosen by a council sub-committee to coordinate the activities. The overall chairman will serve as a member of the HUC.

Explaining the reasons for the change, HUC president Stephen Kaplan '69 said that charitable drives at Harvard generally suffer from the temporary nature of their work. "There is a more viable network here in HUC," Kaplan said, "which would be a help to both of them."

Overcrowding

The blood drive was formerly conducted through the Phillips Brooks House, but PBH asked that it be put under the HUC because of overcrowding at PBH. The Combined Charities has been an independent arm of the HUC for the last two years.

Blood drive chairman Jeffrey A. Nims '71 said, "HUC will be something to fall back on. And we are going to need something to fall back on." PBH had previously provided all funds for publicity and organization.

The council also discussed the possibility of a report on racism at Harvard, and a President's Committee composed of students, faculty, and members of the Board of Overseers to study restructuring of University decision making.