The Harvard Foundation for Race and Intercultural Relations' Student Advisory Committee elected its new executive board this week.

Nailah P. Robinson '98-'97 and Sarita James '98 were elected co-chairs of the committee on Tuesday morning.

Robinson is a member of the Caribbean Club, while James is a member of the Asian-American Association.

Both students live in Lowell House and are concentrating in computer science.

Quincy House resident Regina M.S. Mercado '99, a member of the Phillipine Forum, rounds out the executive board, serving in the position of secretary.

The Student Advisory Committee aids the Foundation in a variety of ways, Robinson said. Primarily, the committee determines which student groups should receive Foundation grants and provides input and participation into Foundation events, such as the annual Cultural Rhythms Festival.

In her new position, Robinson said she "hopes to increase [the Foundation's] visibility on campus and to continue [the Foundation's] mission of promoting intercultural exchange."

Two years ago, the committee worked with the Foundation and the Irish Cultural Society to bring former political prisoner Paul Hill, the subject of the film "In The Name of the Father," to speak on campus.

James said this week that she hopes to expand on last year's inaugural foreign film festival and work to find other sources of financial support for the University's multitudes of minority student organizations.