RUS Members Elect Jarvenpaa, Coughlin

Members of the Radcliffe Union of Student (RUS), the official student government of Radcliffe College, elected a new board of officers last night.

Minna M. Jarvenpaa '93 and Brenda C. Coughlin '93, both of Adams House, each ran unopposed for the position of co-president.

Approximately 15 members attended the meeting. They also elected Martha E. Rojas '93 as treasurer, Olivia D. Williams '93 as co-secretary, Noel C. Allen '95 as co-secretary and Lexy Mayers '92-'93 as publicity coordinator.

In their joint position paper, Jarvenpaa and Coughlin stressed RUS's need to recruit new members. The co-presidents said they will target first-year students, sophomores and women outside of Dunster and Adams Houses.

Jarvenpaa added that the new board plans to delegate responsibility to other RUS members rather than centralize authority in themselves. They hope that the shift will encourage more female undergraduates to participate actively in the organization.

The new board has already developed plans for the upcoming "Take Back the Night" march and rally in April and hopes to sponsor events celebrating International Women's Day on March 8.

RUS will hold its annual spring forum next Thursday. Members said they will decide at the meeting which issues they will target in the upcoming year.

"We want to find out what the women's community wants on campus," Jarvenpaa said.

Jarvenpaa said she expects RUS will continue to protest the single-sex final clubs and advocate the formation of alternative social space for women. The organization's members voted in a heated debate last November to advocate the abolition rather than the integration of the clubs.

RUS is particularly concerned about the formation of the Cliff, an all-women's social club, according to Jarvenpaa.

Coughlin said that RUS may strike at the exclusive clubs with the production of F.C.S. ("Finals Clubs Suck") hats.

New board members said that they realize thattheir own organization is not above criticism.They said they intend to investigate charges thatwhite women have historically dominated the group.

RUS will hold a second series of elections nextThursday, when members will select representativesto the Harvard Foundation and the RadcliffeTrustees

New board members said that they realize thattheir own organization is not above criticism.They said they intend to investigate charges thatwhite women have historically dominated the group.

RUS will hold a second series of elections nextThursday, when members will select representativesto the Harvard Foundation and the RadcliffeTrustees