Still, Fine himself may have confessed his guilt. At least four sources who are or were affiliated with the council charge that Fine joked about or admitted to making unilateral changes.

The Issues

The list of charges against Fine is long. But more importantly, Fine's supporters say, it is also old--the most recent of the allegations was leveled 15 months ago.

Fine's supporters also defend him by pointing to his record.

This fall, Fine proposed seven successful resolutions (see story, page 1).

In his presidential campaign, Fine is articulating a vision which includes a promise of 15 accomplishments in his first 15 days in office.

"Integrity is doing what you tell people you will do," Fine says. "This is so that on February 20, The Crimson or any council member can open my position paper and say, 'Randy meant everything"'.

Fine says his promises are tangible. Among the "15 in 15" are a new copy machine for use by student groups, a response to the report on the structure of the College, and creation of a task force to study other methods for delivering non-Harvard newspapers.

Fine's other major plank is the elimination of "dead weight" on the council. Fine says he wants a more inclusive council, adding that he wants to assign a project or issue to every single council member.

In addition, Fine carries a strong endorsement from Hanselman, the popular sitting president. Hanselman's endorsement is the first in years an outgoing chief.