With family and friends in attendance, Sujean S. Lee ’03 called to order her first meeting as president of the Undergraduate Council, promising a more social council and one in tune with controversial issues on campus.

“I want involvement of the UC in issues that are political or controversial,” Lee said.

While no council members took issue with Lee’s vision for a more approachable council, some expressed concern that Lee seeks to expand the role of the council beyond the realm of tangible student services.

Lee served as vice president of the council under the tenure of Paul A. Gusmorino ’02, who focused his term as council president on improving various aspects of student life at Harvard.

Gusmorino’s council succeeded in convincing the College’s administration to extend weekend party curfews until 2 a.m. for official House events like the Leverett ’80s Dance and the Adams Masquerade. It also negotiated universal keycard access in all of Harvard’s Houses until 2:30—up from 1 a.m. in previous semesters—and organized the first Fallfest to complement the College’s annual springtime festival.

Lee said she will largely follow in Gusmorino’s footsteps.

During her first speech as president, Lee said she will negotiate with College administrators for more student social space. She said she also hopes to create a video store in Loker Commons.

Lee, and her vice presidential running-mate Anne M. Fernandez ’03 were elected on a platform that also included increasing the size and visibility of concerts at Harvard and providing students with weekend shuttles to New York City.

But, departing from Gusmorino’s strict focus on student services, Lee said she wants the council to serve as the voice of Harvard’s students before its administration.

Lee said she was recently approached by a reporter from ABC News who asked her about Harvard students’ opinions on the recent controversy involving University President Lawrence H. Summers and Fletcher University Professor Cornel West ’74.

“I couldn’t really verbalize a sweeping statement of how the student body felt about the issue,” she said.

“We could facilitate discussion about issues like that.”

Some council members, however, are wary of what they see as a potential shift in the focus of the council, after a year marked with a focus on student services.

“I am kind of worried about the new slant of politicization,” said council member Pankaj K. Agarwalla ’04.

In past years, the council’s most divisive votes have come over bills that attempted to suggest major policy changes to University officials—like a bill urging Harvard toward environmentally friendly investing.