Some students said they didn't care whether political motives entered the process.

Jordan N. Bulger '00 said it was irrelevant who had sponsored the bill calling for Burton's removal. All that mattered, he said, was whether the allegations against Burton were true.

"I don't have a problem with those three [opponents] signing the bill, as long as there's a fair trial," he said.

But though students disagreed about whether the charges will stick, there was near unanimous sentiment about one particular aspect of the controversy: whether Burton's race was a factor in driving his impeachment. Most students rejected the idea.

Both Burton and the council president, Fentrice D. Driskell '01, are black. All the sponsors of the petition to remove him are white, a fact that was not lost on Driskell.

"Racism at Harvard is a very subtle thing. It's not a thing to toss around lightly, but we're beginning to wonder," Driskell told a Boston Globe reporter covering the impeachment.

The overwhelming majority of students said they thought it was highly unlikely that the impeachment was racially motivated.

"I don't think that holds any ground. Looking at the facts, I don't think it's a racial issue," said Carlos D. Esparza '02. "That defense is fallen on too many times."