The successful Undergraduate Council presidential campaign of Paul A. Gusmorino '02 and Sujean S. Lee '03 departed radically from winning tickets in years past.

In most other races, election observers say, student group endorsements have proved the key to victory.

Current President Fentrice D. Driskell '01 and her running-mate John A. Burton '01 were endorsed by the Black Students Association (BSA), the Black Men's Forum, Perspective and the Radcliffe Union of Students (RUS), among others, and turnout among these groups' constituencies was very high.

This year, Gusmorino and Lee demonstrated that campaign organization and turning out the voters can fill the gap in vote-getting that endorsements seem to produce.

For months, council members have said that Stephen N. Smith '02 appeared to be the "heir-apparent" to the Driskell presidency. Driskell and Smith are close friends, and Driskell worked hard for Smith's campaign over the past two weeks.

During the first week of the campaign, observers still believed Smith would win easily. Almost every major student group endorsement went to Smith, from the College Democrats to the liberal magazine Perspective.

Other Smith endorsers included Delta Upsilon, the Progressive Jewish Alliance, the Environmental Action Committee, the Bisexual, Gay, Lesbian, Transgender and Supporters Alliance (BGLTSA), and the public service organization EMPOWER.

And so Gusmorino's victory came as a surprise to many council observers--especially considering his 500-vote margin.