"We were very honest about the fact we wanted to get people here, whether it was by making them eat here or with the MTV bus," Gardiner said. "Once they were here, we hit them over the head with politics."

Committee vice-chair John W. Turner '97 added "It was much better for people to dine outside anyway."

It was a Government major's dream come true, with petition drives and tabling from 35 student groups complementing the speeches.

Some debates spilled over into the crowd.

Dunja Popovic '99, a member of Amnesty International, collected hundreds of signatures for a petition opposing human rights violations in Indonesia and the Union of Myammar.

Some refused to sign the petition, and everyone learned something, she said.

"Some actually take me up on issues. We had a few long discussions on why we think [our petition] is valid, and why they don't. I learned a lot," she said. You can't just call [other people] jerks," she said.

Ian T. Simmons '98-'99 said the booths, which addressed specific issues, were more interesting than the speakers, who he said "represent a pretty narrow range on the spectrum."

Police roped off the area, allowing access only to members of the Harvard community.

Each student attending received a ticket stub with 18 blank spaces.

If students received stickers from 18 groups, their tickets were entered into a raffle for prizes including a subscription to Georage magazine, tickets to the John F. Kennedy Library and a weekend at the Kennedy Suite, a Winthrop House dorm where editor and President John F. Kennedy '40 lived.

Students also entered a raffle for five cars and several spring break vacations sponsored by Jammin' 94.5-FM.

Unofficial estimates by organizers pegged the IOP's expenses at about $2,300. Undergraduate Council President Robert M. Hyman '98 said the council, which co-sponsored the event, might contribute between $300 and $1,000 in payments.

Members of the Harvard-Radcliffe College Democrats and the Harvard-Radcliffe Republican Alliance, whose booths were nearly adjacent to each other, each claimed to be winning the support of undergraduates.

"I've found lots of people ready to change their addresses and register to vote here," said Sarah L. Lee '99, adding that volunteers would be holding signs in Harvard Square supporting Sen. John F. Kerry (D-Mass.).