Freshman Council

To the Editors of the Crimson:

This is a response to a letter written by the moderator of the Freshman Council that appeared in the Crimson on May 5, 1977.

It is obvious that Eugene Matthews has a different perception of what occured at the Freshman Council meeting at which the controversial freshman class poll was to be discussed. We must question his authority to speak objectively about the matter since he was, after all, the moderator and directly involved in the council's latest controversy.

To an outside observer it was clear that Dean Arthurs did obstruct the progress of several proposals by digressing to discuss trivial matters. We can only hope that this was unintentional.

We question, further, the validity of the Freshman Council itself. Many council members, although they will not admit it, use their position as a good activity for graduate school applications. They lack a sincere interest in student affairs. This is illustrated by the council's ineffectiveness. The council, for example, has never passed any of the substantive proposals of the council's own Advocacy Committee. One such proposal would give an entry the right to recall a Freshman Council member by a two-thirds vote. Needless to say, the proposal fell on deaf ears.

It would be unfair to hold the council and Dean Arthurs directly responsible for their actions. The council is not a progressive organization and we shouldn't expect it to be. After all, there are few members who are interested in things other than parties, prestige, dances, and speakers. Student welfare is not a major concern of the council; however, student placation is. --Christopher S. Vogelmann '80