Sophomore Group Aims At Fostering Class Unity

In an effort to promote unity among the members of the Class of '88, two sophomores have formed an organization to sponsor class-wide events for their peers.

Named the Class Council, the organization will follow along the lines of the Freshman Council, a group of freshmen who annually plan social gatherings for the Yardlings, said the group's founders, Richard Cooperstein '88 and Jane E. Mendez '88.

"We wanted to follow through with the Freshman Council and realized that there was no viable mechanism for that purpose," said Cooperstein.

Since the sophomores are dispersed throughout the houses, it was difficult to do much to promote any unity, Mendez said. "We wanted to make them remember they form part of that class and to make our class an integral part of Harvard University," she said.

Members of a class all come together in their freshman year when the majority lives in the Yard and during their senior year when they participate in commencement-centered activities. "It's sort of absurd to try to promote some sort of interest [senior year] when you have a bridge of two years," said Mendez.

Class Council-sponsored activities could range from champagne brunches to cookouts in Radcliffe Yard, the founders said. Any member of the class of '88 can help plan the group's activities. "We're not totally informal, but we're not the Undergraduate Council," Cooperstein said.

The organization will sponsor two or three events each semester this year and the following year, said the founders. Mendez said that they hoped to hold their first event sometime before spring weeekend.

Since it is the first such group, the council could foster future groups, said Cooperstein. "They've got to take the initiative," he said. "It's our class and we're going to do something that will keep it together as a unit."