One day after the rally sponsored by the Phillips Brooks House Association, Inc. (PBHA), questions remain--both about the future of PBHA and about the rally itself.

The demonstration, held on Thursday in front of University Hall, aimed to express students' disapproval of the University's recent appointment of new Assistant Dean of the College for Public Service Judith H. Kidd.

"It was the largest rally at Harvard in recent times," said PBHA President Vincent Pan '95-'96. "Next time they'll think harder when they want to roll over the student community...we accomplished most of what we wanted to do."

Despite the turnout of 750 participants--significantly lower than the goal of 5,000--Pan said the protest was successful because it was a "big step" for students to overcome their apathy and show up at 1 p.m., which, he said, was an inconvenient time for many to attend.

On Thursday, Dean of the College Harry R. Lewis '68, in an e-mail, called the lower-than-anticipated turnout "at most a fifth of the number expected" and "about half of the number of students claimed as members of PBHA."

"Obviously, he missed the point of the rally," Pan said yesterday. "The emphasis is not on counting heads but on the people who actually came out for two hours, and if he continues to ignore the substance of people's concern, that's an even bigger problem."

"However many students made it [to the rally], they had to give up their prior commitments from the busy schedule Harvard students have. I guess that's something Lewis wasn't willing to do himself," Pan added.

In an e-mail message late last night. Lewis said he could not comment on remarks made at the rally but that he and other administrators had offered many times to meet with student service leaders.

"These invitations have gone out by phone, e-mail and in writing, but they have not been followed up on or usually even acknowledged," Lewis wrote. "I regret this, but to the extent that there is a lack of communication, it is not our fault."

Theda Skocpol, professor of sociology and chair of the committee on public service, said she canceled a prior commitment to attend the rally, which she viewed in its entirety.

"I was there and enjoyed the good spirit. Unlike others, I wasn't playing the numbers game, so I was impressed with the number of people who were there," Skocpol said.

"I didn't see a very clear message at the rally," she added. "I listened very closely, and it's a little odd that a rally about student empowerment had mainly speakers who were in their forties and fifties. I would have enjoyed more student speakers."

Among the speakers at the rally were Robert Coles '50, who told the crowd to "pray for [Lewis'] soul," and Mayor Kenneth E. Reeves '72 who said Lewis had "mooned" Harvard.

"The personal shots to Lewis were cheap, and indicated a lack of better things to say," Skocpol said.

"Students came to reaffirm other students," Undergraduate Council President Robert M. Hyman '98 said. "They reaffirmed student empowerment, and I got a very positive sense of mutual support for a common cause."

The council passed a resolution supporting the rally earlier this week and urged students to attend, according to Hyman, who also spoke at the rally.