Word: offutt
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...received a surprising amount of attention in College dining halls, dorm rooms and media. That scrutiny began when the supporters of a bid to unseat the student government's top officer tried to turn a campus-wide divestment referendum into a vote of confidence on incumbent Chairman Brian C. Offutt '87. What emerged from these controversies was a debate over student government's responsibility to take stands on what members have called "controversial political questions...
...debate which preceeded the council's election of officers last Sunday night avoided real-world political questions such as divestment. The exchange between Offutt and his challenger, Dunster House Representative Melissa S. Lane '88, made for a student government election like any other, a sound-off between sound-alikes...
...Offutt did not hold onto the council's chair by mouthing grand slogans or issuing statements of intent like those associated with the earlier days of the campaign. He won after outlining specific ideas to improve the quality of student life. None of the changes he outlined is as captivating as "controversial political questions," but each would have a positive effect on the life of undergraduates...
Neither candidate spoke about divestment, or mentioned the council's none-too-clear mandate to shape campus debate of important issues. They did not offer new visions of student government at Harvard. Offutt called the week-long effort to unseat him "bickering," and, among other things, said he would like to see Harvard Stadium used for rock concerts. Lane, who lost the election, also steered clear of anything resembling a larger question of student government. Her campaign statement focused on the need to heal rifts within the council...
Some council members charged that Offutt wasapolitical, and the referendum might be used toresolve the intra-council rift between"apolitical" and "political" representatives byasking students to decide whether the councilshould take political stands...