Hillel also recently supported a BSA protest against The Bell Curve. In fact, the Wednesday meeting had been planned by the two groups far before the Martin incident sprang up.

"It just happened to come at a good time," says Loeffler.

In contrast, when the Jeffries' speech happened, the members of both groups were distant.

"When I was a freshman, we had never done anything with the BSA," Kaunfer says, "and then the first contact was with Jeffries."

The relationship between the present leadership of both groups is also more friendly than in the past, students say.

"I think our leadership knows a lot of their leadership well...as opposed to...[a] few years ago," says BSA historian David W. Brown '97, who is a Crimson editor.

The boards of both groups have communicated more frequently, even having dinner meetings once in a while to discuss topics relevant to both groups.

Part of the reason that difficulties over Martin speech were deflected so quickly, Kaunfer says, was that he and BSA President Kristen M. Clarke '97 were in constant contact.

"I called Kristen as soon as I found out about Tony Martin, and we were from that time on in constant dialogue about what to do after the speech," Kaunfer says.

"I think there was a commitment between both of us to mend any problems between our groups that may have been manifest by Tony Martin's speech," Kaunfer added.

The understanding among the leaders may be trickling down to groups' members.

"It's starting to get to the point where membership is being able to communicate as well," Pine says.

Two years ago, Pine says that there was no interaction between the two groups during the only event that brought them together, a BSA-sponsored speech.

Now there are closer relations and at least a few more friends across lines, leaders say.

Those stronger personal relationships between the members of the groups have been key in improving overall relations, Clarke says.