"We go through a vast amount of material," she says. "We have to consider the needs of the board in terms of representation of different disciplines."

Another important factor in the candidate process is time commitment, according to Bayley.

"Often someone who looks ideal simply can't do it because of their current career," he says.

Bayley says his committee looks at "dedication to Harvard" in attempting to evaluate a potential candidate's fitness for formal nomination. This, however, does not have to mean levels of donation, he says.

"In our discussions, a person's role as a donor, if it's ever considered, is only seen as minor," Bayley says. "That's evidence of dedication to the University, but that same dedication could be evidenced in other ways, like participation on alumni committees."

"The Powers that Be"

But not everyone is happy with the nominating process.

Stephen B. Hrones '64, who is running by petition this year, says the election process is biased against petition candidates.

Hrones, an attorney based in Boston, notes that petition candidates are listed after the committee-nominated candidates in the ballot pamphlet sent to alumni.

"Nothing prevents them from putting us in with the mix and just saying we're petition candidates," Hrones says. "If I don't win, I intend to take appropriate action, legal action if necessary."

Armstrong, however, defends the policy of listing petition candidates after committee-nominated ones.

"The candidates on the official slate were selected by the nominating process," she says. "These other candidates have not been subjected to the same rigorous procedure because they're self-nominated."

Bayley echoed her words and added that he did not believe the alumni would hold a petition status against a candidate.

Armstrong says that petition candidates receive equal treatment.

"The Overseers as a body feel that the current procedure is fair," she says. "[Petition candidates] have just as much space in the ballot and their pictures are there. They are not slighted in any way--they are just separately identified."