Council Right to Lobby, Work With Administration

To the editors:

I'm not going to comment at length about the perceived "break-up" of the Seton-Redmond ticket (News, Nov. 29). Kamil E. Redmond '00 and I have spoken and have no hard feelings. While we've always agreed on some things and disagreed on others, I am proud of the work that we've done and the effort that we've put in. Judging whether our election was a good choice for the student body is somebody else's business, not mine.

Instead, I would like to clarify my statement that there are two ways of going about being on the council: either you can tear everything up or you can work within the system. This does not mean that you cannot push for policy change within a system that currently exists. I think this is what we have done. Successful examples include UHS reforms and Universal Keycard Access. Although unsuccessful, the council also fought hard to preserve Science Core exemptions for students with AP scores and to oppose the cut in blocking group sizes.

What I meant is that the council can either work as it does now or it can change its mission and structure, putting aside the multiple tasks that it takes upon itself and taking up the one, overwhelming fight for greater student input in decisions of the College and University. If the council decides on this second goal, it would need to drastically reform itself to create an organization that is able to produce campus protests, rallies and sit-ins.

If this is the type of council the student body wants, then the council's new leaders should understand this desire and act on it. However, everyone should understand that a council aimed solely at more input in College decisions will take many years and many council leaders.

I chose to work in the existing system because I felt that such an effort would be too difficult to sustain from year to year, and that much of the the council's lobbying efforts made the same progress. The council's professionalism and responsibility has increased since the introduction of popular elections for the council president four years ago. In these four years, the council's role in College decisions has increased. I feel that this incremental approach--which has seen policy changes in phone rates, dining services, house life, UHS, security and safety, advising, book prices and student group funding--has produced a number of positive results for the student body.

I am proud of the council's work in the past four years and during my term in this last year. Even while working within the framework of the council's current structure, we have never failed to fight hard for the students' interests, and I am confident that no matter who is elected in the next few weeks to replace me, the council will continue to work tirelessly to represent the student body.