The following candidates are all running for president of the Undergraduate Council. The rest of the presidential candidates, as well as the vice presidential candidates, will be presented tomorrow in this space. The pieces running today are those we received earliest.

John J. Appelbaum '97

I am running for president of the Undergraduate Council for one reason: I want the council to be a true student government. The council should stick to the things it can do best for the students: providing student services and representing student concerns. Unfortunately, the opposite is happening: the Undergraduate Council is turning, more and more, into a weird debating club, where members argue about politics, from changing the English language to reforming the United States military. Council members were too busy debating Harvard ROTC policy to provide airport shuttle buses for students leaving for spring break.

The council dreams grandiose dreams, while basic student needs--like shuttle buses, a better meal plan, longer library hours, security and better social events-fall by the wayside.

I ask for your support because I want to return student government to the students.

If I am elected to the Presidency, there will be a lot less noise on the council. And there will be a lot more straight talk, plain dealing, and hard work.

For four semesters, I worked to serve the students who elected me to the Undergraduate Council. I hope I have done some good, without making a big deal out of it. But there comes a time when one can no longer merely hope. There comes a time when we have to stand up for what's right, to demand hard work and honest service, to put an end to political games and empty rhetoric.

I think that time has come. That is why I am running for council president. Please help me put the Undergraduate Council back on track.

Alissa S. Brotman '97

Harvard seeks a better sense of community among students and within the University. The role of president of the Undergraduate Council requires serving the students with leadership toward that improved sense of community.

The ideas that I advance are concrete ideas which can immediately improve the quality of life of students. I endorse Crimson Cash, more hang-out areas, improved shuttle services, institution of the A/B grade, more grant money. However, my basic underlying philosophy is to promote the idea of community and a great sense of equality among students. While the walls of our dining halls are currently graced with portraits of outstanding scholars and former presidents of the University, these portraits do not reflect our current diversity. The addition of portraits of historically honored females of Radcliffe to our dining halls is an idea which is over due.

Some traditions at Harvard are binding us to a past which is anachronistic. While final clubs cling to their sense of identity, their resistance to progress makes a statement which most of us do not care to debate. We do not like to acknowledge that women do not have the same freedom or status at Harvard as men. Various organizations are denied the enrichment that undoubtedly would be enjoyed with abandonment of tradition.

I will spend a year promoting the concept of an enhanced sense of community. I will begin by calling for a forum attended by the heads of every student group on campus to discuss this idea and bring about greater interaction of students and student groups.

Student voices and opinions should be considered seriously. I have an ear for those voices and the will to make them heard throughout our community.

Rudd W. Coffey '97