Leslie Roberts, a senior at the college,agreed. "He's a very strong character and his lossat the election won't alter his performance on thejob," said.

Other B.U. students said, though, that it wouldbe a good idea for Silber to leave.

"I feel good for the University that he'scoming back, in that the changes that he has madehere in the last 20 years have really beenphenomenal," sophomore Melissa C. O'Malley said."But I don't think that we should be guinea pigsfor his ideas when we don't have the power of theaverage voter, so I think a rest would be good forhim."

Junior Carl H. Ford agreed with O'Malley. "Ithink he's been really good for this university,but now, I personally feel he's almost more of ahindrance than a help. I guess I'd like him toleave."

Ford added that Silber could help theDemocratic party as chair. "I think he'd be prettygood for the Democratic party," Ford said. "He'llliven them up a bit and hopefully get them readyfor '92."

The president of the Harvard-RadcliffeDemocrats, a group which withheld its unanimoussupport for Silber during the campaign, disagreedwith the notion that the B.U. president would begood for the party.

"It's a sad state of affairs for theMassachusetts Democratic party if they can'tanybody better than John Silber," said James M.Harmon '93.