The census was intended to usher in a new era of council accountability, giving leaders a sense of what students really wanted from their government.

It was also supposed to be a crucial bargaining tool for the council, for the first time giving them hard data on students' concerns to take to University administrators.

But faced with a response rate of less than 20 percent, Driskell says she has abandoned the census idea.

"It didn't go so well," Driskell says. "We didn't get the response we needed."

Some council members who were originally excited about Census 2000 were disheartened by the way the council approached the issue.

"Census 2000 was a really good idea, but it was too unwieldy and too sound-byte-y," said council member Todd E. Plants '01. "I don't think anyone would disagree that it was too big a project to do to so informally."

After several widely publicized problems, ranging from the impeachment--and eventual acquittal--of council Vice President John A. Burton '01 to the failure of the census, Driskell and Burton fought through the spring for small victories.

Driskell and Burton's critics say the lack of results from their efforts is evidence of the pair's lack of ideas.