Last summer, for example, he helped change voter-registration laws in Philadelphia which disfranchised many of the homeless, particularly Black men. And with his Luce scholarship, he will work next year in Seoul for the Social Welfare Center at Chung An University.

He defends the Achmed Mohammed piece on the grounds that he didn't intend to attribute any qualities "to all Arabs."

One shouldn't "draw an implication from it that wasn't intended and then go on to argue that the implication" is reprehensible, Kennedy says.

Whatever the case with that article, Kennedy's involvement in the Lampoon does remain a step away from his campus liberalism. Minority groups have charged that the Lampoon's emphasis on secrecy and tradition often make it a foreboding place for students who may already feel out of place around Harvard's ivied walls. Moreover, the rigorous comp process at the Lampoon likely turns away a larger percentage of compers than any other campus publication.

At Perspective, distinctions can be made on the basis of argumentation and reporting. At the Lampoon, it's humor--humor that sometimes demands (as with the Achmed Mohammed piece) that students partially set aside their intolerance of stereotyping. That's a tall order for some minorities and women.

"Some things the Lampoon stands for are things Perspective has fought against," says Furman. "The exclusivity, the closest thing to a rush on campus, humor that at times is at other people's expense"--while de rigueur for the Lampy, most Perspective staffers find these things unacceptable.

And Perspective, by contrast, enjoys a solid campus reputation for openness. Few would argue that Perspective has "sensitivity problems."

"My thought is that David views the Lampoon as a forum in which to be funny, and at times, unfortunately, he forgets his commitment to politics," Furman says. Sometimes, he says, Kennedy "fails to realize that humor can also be political."

Kennedy, however, says he has been able to reconcile his work on both Perspective and the Lampoon.

He quickly denies the allegation that the Lampoon chooses staffers on criteria other than merit. "We weren't elected because we like each other. We were elected because we produce good work," he claims.

And he says the organization's secrecy and tradition are crucial to drawing first-years to the comp. "The image is essential to the place," he says.

He argues that it's more about fun than exclusion. People don't know how to take things that are ironic and ridiculous," he says. Of those who can't see the line between irony and insensitivity, he says they "aren't bright enough to draw the line."

For every once of brie and caviar served at the Castle, he says, there are Rice Krispie Treats and Fruity Pebbles. "The place is full of social retards--among them, "me," he says in response to the idea that the Lampoon is a mini final club.

Kennedy says he doesn't see why minorities are upset by the organization, but he seems not to grasp that even a little perceived insensitivity can go a long way. "The last time a joke was printed that had even a remote reference to Blacks was in spring of 1990," he asserts.

But one of Kennedy's own recent pieces memorialized the "Forgotten Heroes of the Civil Rights Struggle." It clearly wasn't insensitive, But it did make "a remote reference to Blacks." And anyway, many would respond that 1990 wasn't so long ago. Kennedy says that because the 1990 article was written by a Black staffer, it's okay.