Students in the Graduate School of Arts and Sciences are currently conducting elections to select student representatives to two Faculty-student committees designed to formulate graduate financial aid policies at the GSAS.

Michael L. Walzer, professor of Government and chairman of the Committee on Graduate Education, last week outlined a two-stage voting process by which graduate students will be elected to both his committee and to a projected Commission on Graduate Education.

In a letter dated October 24 and sent to all graduate students, Walzer encouraged students to participate in the election.

The letter said it is "crucially important" that students serve on the two bodies because "the considered advice of these groups and the legislative proposals, if any, that they make would carry great weight with the Faculty and the dean."

The Committee on Graduate Education was established in 1969 to prepare legislation for Faculty consideration on a variety of issues related to graduate education with "the right to be consulted" on such matters.

The Committee was supposed to have equal numbers of students and Faculty, with students having full voting rights. The Committee had no student members last year and never met.

The Commission on Graduate Education--mandated at a Faculty meeting last May--will be charged to "formulate a concrete policy of support for graduate education and a set of criteria for support based on that policy."

In the letter, Walzer said that because the jurisdictions of the two groups overlap, the election for both groups will be held at the same time.

Elections will be decided by a simple vote plurality. Departments with 35 or fewer students voting will select one representative; 35 to 70 voters will choose two representatives; and, 70 or more will select three representatives.

Walzer urged that voting be completed by November 10. He said last night that the procedure thus far is proceeding according to schedule.

Following the first vote, a panel of the elected committee and departmental representatives will meet and choose from its membership student members for the Committee and the Commission. Walzer said that although the Faculty members of the Committee will "suggest a mechanism for making this choice, the final decision will be the panel's own.