Poll Prod

Although the results of a poll distributed on a "take-one-if-you-want-one" basis probably cannot be labelled as scientifically exact, the findings of the CRIMSON College Affairs Poll, distributed in the Dining Halls last Wednesday noon, do, to a certain extent, portray in large scale the feelings of the student body on a number of the issues that have arisen during the fall term thus far.

Two tremendous prods and an index of student opinion appear for the Council Constitutional Committee in the results of the poll. Almost unanimously, the present hit-or-miss method of Council contact with the student body at large was condemned as being inadequate, while the "grievance committee" idea received nearly as large an affirmative vote. If the Council has not previously considered this tenuousness of contact as a major problem, it would probably do well to reflect on the absolute weight of the majority.

The two problems which the Constitutional Committee has been boggling on found the ballot-writers taking fairly definite sides. House representation won a decisive 85 per cent majority over the present Class system, and the completely elective ideal won a somewhat less decisive majority over any combination of appointive and elective systems. Again, with such evidence before them, it is difficult to see how the Committee can justify much extension of debate on these two issues.

Indifference, notably, was rather low. In virtually every one of the distributing points, the poll forms were completely gone before one o'clock. Of the 1800 polls printed and handed out, well over 1300 were turned back in, most of them completely filled out. Of those taking the trouble to complete the form, only slightly better than seven per cent conformed to the stereotype of Harvard indifference by professing to think that the method of selecting a Council made no difference at all. The response to the poll may indeed, have started to pull apart the timeworn thesis that the undergraduate is "a most indifferent guy."