Driskell and her supporters sent e-mail messages to groups including the Black Men's Forum and the Black Students Association, along with other groups that endorsed her and Burton in the election, urging members to come to last night's meeting and support them.

Early in last night's meeting, Driskell asked all the visitors to stand up. More than a quarter of the room did so.

Included in this group were Associate Dean of the College for Extra-Curricular Activities David P. Illingworth '71, a reporter for The Boston Globe and S. Allen Counter, director of the Harvard Foundation for Intercultural and Race Relations.

Counter declined to comment on the proceedings, calling the meeting "a student matter." He said he decided to attend when students asked if he would "observe the process."

Over the weekend, several Driskell-Burton supporters said they thought the impeachment might have racial overtones.

They noted that Driskell is the first black woman to serve as council president--a fact that Driskell also noted as the first line of her opening remarks.

"I think [race is] something that people look at. It's something very easy to see--that it's a bunch of conservative white males impeaching a black vice president," said Isaac J. Weiler '02, who is the secretary of the Black Men's Forum.

Former Vice President Kamil E. Redmond '00 noted that the attendance of non-council members at the meeting was "very, very, very highly minority."