The Dreyfus Affair

Benjamin W. Dreyfus '01 is a showman. One can only imagine what the self-proclaimed "long-haired liberal" is thinking. Are his antics a campaign tactic? Or is this Dreyfus in his natural habitat? He could be the John McCain of the Undergraduate Council, exploiting his image as an out-and-out weirdo the same way McCain is capitalizing on the media's current fascination with his temper. Or he could be the Alan E. Keyes '72, with his outrageous allegations and proposals, pushed to the margins of an already marginal race. Dreyfus wants Harvard to regress 30 years to 1969 when students stormed University Hall. He wants the war-like atmosphere of those days to galvanize the student body. He's insane.

His theatrics were nearly as entertaining as Sterling P. A. Darling's '01 grinning face. Poor Fentrice P. Driskell '01 kept having to speak after Drefyus' impassioned, pun-filled, often nonsensical monologues. But one senses that Dreyfus might be hiding something. Something big. Something monstrous.

Dreyfus might be a normal guy. If this is a campaign tactic, it seems to be working. Last night's debate was punctuated by laughter which was more often than not directed at (or with?) him. Benjamin M. Wikler '03did get one laugh, but besides that, Dreyfus is the only show in town. Many students already see the council as a three-ring circus. Presuming Dreyfus doesn't go normal on us, Holworthy basement might become home to a new ringmaster.

Council Catwalk

Last night's Undergraduate Council debate may have lacked substance, but that was certainly made up for with style. From audience member Andrew L. Perito's '01 coral button-down to the supporters of Fentrice D. Driskell '01 and John A. Burton '01 who wore banana-yellow bandanas, oh what a runway last night's debate was!

Vice Presidential candidate Benjamin M. Wikler '03 sported the Don Johnson look with a Miami-Vice-ish ensemble complete with the open-collar olive shirt and coifed hair. The Driskell-Burton ticket went business and Sterling P. A. Darling '01 went just a little easier on the Dep gel. He even shed his jacket at the podium. (Maybe the council really does pay attention to our humble comments here at The Crimson.)

Both Todd E. Plants '01 and Driskell donned trendy black plastic glasses and the white button-up worn by Nehal S. Patel's '02 was a little too unbuttoned.