H-R Students Join to Meet Congressmen

About 150 student constituents, former campaign workers and political aficionados gathered last night to drink beer and eat pretzels with the 25 newly elected congressmen currently attending the congressional training seminar at the Institute of Politics.

The students attending the receptions--held at Quincy and Leverett Houses, Phillips Brooks House and the Freshman Union--came predominantly from the congressmen's home districts.

Martha Gershun '78, staff assistant to the coordinator of the conference, said yesterday that the Institute held the receptions to provide a service to both congressmen and students, by allowing them to discuss areas of mutual concern.

Issues discussed varied widely, ranging from chit-chat about acquaintances back home to intense debates on current problems.

Edward Markey (D-Mass.) said, "I came for the pretzels," yet called questions put to him by students "incisive, perceptive and illuminating."

Some students came prepared with specific questions. Stuart Min '80 arrived at Phillips Brooks House to ask S.J. Hayakawa (R-Cal.) about educational and political opportunities for Asian Americans.

Min had trouble asking his question, however, for a crowd of students had surrounded the senator-elect to hear him debate black economic problems with another student.

Many congressmen-elect pointed out their unique personal characteristics. At Quincy House, Daniel Akaka (D-Hawaii) stressed that he would be "the first ethnic Hawaiian on the floor of Congress."

Barbara Mikulski (D-Md.) said that she was "the only person in Congress shorter than Jimmy Carter. I hope to be close to him and get things done."