Last Friday's Radcliffe Union of Students election marks a final step in the organization's shift from a representative voice for campus women to an "open forum" with no specific ideology or mandate.

The transition leaves a vacuum for smaller, more specifically issue-oriented groups to fill, students say, and many campus women's groups applaud the move.

Newly-elected RUS Co-president Anne Guiney '95 says that the need for a single, representative women's group on campus has passed. She says RUS will now seek to foster "as much activism [as possible] through grants."

As part of its effort to move away from endorsing any specific view-point, RUS will distance itself from formerly internal project such as Take Back The Night and Women's Expo. Both projects may have to go through an official grant process in order to receive funding, RUS Secretary Courtney R. Baker '96 says.

RUS will focus on serving as a support body, rather than actively pressing its stand on women's issues, members says.

"It would be unfair for RUS to claim to speak for all women. RUS cannot take on that role, and have only one particular agenda," Guiney says. "It's very important for RUS to be an umbrella organization, and encouragedifferent groups with various agendas."

"[By doing so] we hope RUS will be moreinclusive," co-president Megan Lewis '95 says.

Although many organizations endorse the RUSshift in policy, some students say there is a needfor a groups specifically promoting feminism oncampus.

Recently-elected AAA co-president JenniferChing '96 says RUS should still maintain aparticular feminist agenda.

"I don't see why the RUS can't be both afunding organizations as well as an activemovement for women," Ching says. "Personally, Ithink women's right s issues are still hanging inresponsibility to uphold a strong [feminist]presence on campus."

Political stands or no, RUS has a considerablefinancial base to support student groups.

Every female undergraduate at Harvard isterm-billed the sum of $5 annually to fund thegroup. All undergraduate women are officially RUSmembers.

Presently, RUS obtains a total of about $14,000a year and provides more than $10,000 in grants,according to RUS treasurer Anna L. Gibb '96.

For the maximum number of undergraduate womento benefit from these resources, RUS must focusfunding rather than on project creation, Lewissays.

Although the organization's role is shifting,RUS members say it will continue to championwomen's issues through its financial and politicalsupport. The support will simply become morebroad-based.

"Acting as a grant-giving organization does notdestroy our role as an advocate for women," Guineysays.