“When a petition comes through, we try to consider whether it can be universally applied to the Core,” he said. “Some professors don’t want to put it in the catalog as fulfilling a Core requirement.”

After Gross concluded his 40-minute question-and-answer session, the council ratified three pieces of legislation.

The first, authored by Fred O. Smith ’04 and Rachelle K. Gould ’03, called for the council to urge University officials to provide ample recycling and trash cans in tailgate areas during The Game.

It also called for the council to “publicize the placement of bins, by communicating with HoCos prior to the event and by placing clear signage throughout the venue.” The bill passed unanimously.

The second piece of legislation, also authored by Smith, requested $45 for prizes to be distributed randomly to students on the council’s Events Calendar list. The prizes, according to the bill, would help increase publicity for the calendar.

Despite the relatively small size of the monetary allocation, the bill elicited nearly 20 minutes of debate. Ultimately, the council passed it on a 37-3 count, with two abstentions.

The final bill, sponsored by James C. Coleman ’03, would allocate $1,900 for the production of t-shirts for the Harvard-Yale game. The bill noted that the council produces “an affordable and ‘non-offensive’ alternative to many of those [t-shirts] that are offered.”

After an amendment requiring the t-shirts to be sold for more than the cost of production—which Alexander B. Patterson ’03 opposed in a forceful speech that included the removal of his shirt—was ratified, the bill passed unanimously.

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