President Neil L. Rudenstine did not attend the rally because of a previously scheduled meeting, according to Harvard's Director of Public Affairs Alex Huppe. Huppe said that Rudenstine might have a comment at his next biweekly news conference.

Representatives of many student organizations, including the Undergraduate Council, the Minority Students Alliance, Students for Choice, the College Democrats, the Harvard-Radcliffe Republican Alliance, La Raza, the Harvard-Radcliffe Dramatic Club, Perspective, Lighthouse, the Progressive Action Network and various house committees, attended the rally.

"How many of you are missing a class or a section right now to be here?" yelled Peter S. Cahn '96 at the rally's start. He received a roar in response.

The Speakers

Cheers from the crowd punctuated every speech in the 90-minute rally, but few spoke more explicitly than Kenneth E. Reeves '72, mayor of Cambridge.

"Do you know what a moon is?" Reeves asked the students. "A moon is when someone drops their pants and turns and looks at you. So I am here because I feel that you have been mooned and we have been mooned."

Master of Adams House Robert Kiely '60 also posited that the students and faculty involved with public service have not been listened to.

"If several hundreds of those exceptional students are distressed by decisions made in the past year by the administration, an administration that is truly proud of those exceptional students should listen to them," Kiely said.

Professor of Law Charles J. Ogletree roused the crowd when he started a chant. "What do we want?" Ogletree shouted. "Public interest," the crowd responded. "When do we want it?" Ogletree continued. "Now!" the crowd shouted.

One of the later speakers, the Rev. Thomas Chittick of the University Lutheran Church, said the Harvard student-run shelter in the church's basement has helped his congregation.

"After 14 years of Phillips Brooks House running a shelter in the basement of church, an entire congregation has been changed," Chittick said.

Professor of Latin American History and Economics John Womack Jr. said that due to faculty apathy, student concern is all that much more important.

"I think, at best, one percent of the faculty knows or cares about PBH," Womack said. "Given the faculty's concern with their careers, that percentage is not going to increase."

And Francis H. Duehay '55, the Cambridge city councillor who ended the official speakers' list, praised the programs and remembered his own experiences with the organization.

"I know that Greg Johnson and Gail Epstein have run and are running the best community service programs in any college in this country," he said.