If there's one thing that defines Sterling P. A. Darling '01 as a candidate for the presidency of the Undergraduate Council, it's the long hours--20 a week, by his estimate--that he has spent working on the council.

It's a double-edged sword.

On the one hand, even Darling's detractors say he has a proven track record of getting the job done on council.

"There's no question that Sterling is extremely competent," says council Vice President Kamil E. Redmond '01, who is endorsing Darling's competitors, Fentrice D. Driskell '01 and her running-mate John A. Burton '01.

On the other hand, there is a pervading sense that Darling, who, as council treasurer, is the only candidate who holds a position on the council's executive board, represents an entrenched council leadership that has failed to appeal to the student body at large.

"There's something to be said about having experience, but there's something to be said about coming from the outside," says Hugh P. Liebert '01, explaining why he endorsed Frank X. Leonard '01 over Darling. Liebert is the publisher of the Salient.

Part of the reason that Darling picked running-mate Nehal S. Patel '02 is to defray such criticism.

In Patel's mind, these differences are assets that make them an effective team.