By late October, The Crimson reported that the committee had narrowed down its pool to 35 to 50 people.

Students Doth Protest

As the search process proceeded through the fall, a number of student groups fought to give students a greater voice in the process.

Harvard Watch, a Ralph Nader-sponsored watch group called for more student input in the search process which they termed "secretive and exclusionary." Nader came to campus for a rally urging openness in the search. More than 200 students attended, shouting slogans including "Hey! Hey! Ho! Ho! This secrecy has got to go!"

Nader's group also released salary figures for the search committee members serving on corporate boards.

"Exclusivity needlessly constrains the committee from incorporating on a wider, more human scale the citizens' and community's concerns and needs," said Jaron Bourke '88, of Nader's group.

More than 1,000 students signed a petition calling for the addition of two students--one undergraduate and one graduate--to the selection committee and the accessibility of the short-list of presidential candidates and search committee members to interested student groups. Versions of the petition were approved by the Undergraduate Council (UC), Phillips Brooks House and the Harvard-Radcliffe Democrats. The petition was authored by the Committee on University Practices (COUP), a watchdog group that was an agitator throughout the search process.

The council was also heavily involved in its own right. Council Chair Guhan Subramanian '92 wrote to the search committee in the summer to urge more student input.