HUC to Revive Leniency Petition Signatures Drive

The Harvard Undergraduate Council voted last night to recirculate a petition asking for leniency for students facing punishment as a result of last month's Paine Hall sit-in.

The petition, which was circulated in all Harvard Houses and in the Union before Christmas vacation, calls firing an "unacceptably harsh disciplinary action." More than 1000 students have already signed the petition, according to John D. Hanify '71, who is in charge of its distribution. The petition will be handed to Dean Glimp on Monday.

"The most important thing this petition can do is let the administration know there are students who care," said Stephen H. Kaplan '69, outgoing president of HUC.

The HUC meeting also considered plans for a poll on power and the decision-making process at Harvard to be conducted next semester. Kaplan said the poll would deal with "questions we can draw long-term ideas from." He also urged new HUC members to help in setting up a symposium on power in the University which has been requested by the Harvard-Radcliffe Policy Committee.

Adding that he was "pessimistic" about the symposium's chances, Kaplan said, "If it doesn't come off, then a group of the officers of undergraduate organizations will get together and do it themselves."

The Adams House Committe also dealt with the Paine Hall sit-in last night, voting 11-1 to ask the Faculty to postpone judgment of the demonstrators. Citing "growing concern" within the University for "a re-examination of various decision-making procedures at Harvard," the Committee asked that the decision be withheld "until students, Faculty, and administration can evolve such new procedures."