He hailed the Afro-American Studies Department as “the best in the world,” and also recommended that students who want additional ethnic or cultural studies departments “transfer to history.”

“If you look at how these departments develop at Harvard and elsewhere...a group of Faculty members have an interest in the area,” he said. “These activities are best that they come up from the Faculty.”

When asked about whether the College will prolong library hours and Thanksgiving breaks, Kirby replied, “I have no idea.”

“It’s very good to be a new dean because you can really be ignorant,” he added, eliciting laughter from the council.

After Kirby concluded his session, the council approved two pieces of legislation.

The first, authored by Jason L. Lurie ’05, called for the council to “allocate $150 from the committee fund for candy to be handed out in front of the Science Center on Halloween.”

The bill passed easily.

The second was a resolution, sponsored by Michael R. Blickstead ’05, endorsing the Oct. 26 House Committee petition submitted to Dean of the College Harry R. Lewis ’68 protesting the ban on kegs at tailgates on the weekend of the Harvard-Yale game.

“I believe the bill will create solidarity with the HoCo’s and the entire student body. It shows that the student body has serious and legitimate concern about the keg ban,” Blickstead said. “If we don’t support this, then who are we representing?”

After debate and several failed amendment proposals, the resolution passed by a 29-to-6 margin, with four representatives abstaining.

—Staff writer Alexander J. Blenkinsopp can be reached at blenkins@fas.harvard.edu.