Four Insurgent Candidates Elected by Coop Members

Student members of the Harvard Cooperative Society elected four opposition candidates to the Coop's 23-member board of directors this week. Many students, however, claimed that they never received a ballot and criticized the Coop's procedures.

"About half the people that I have spoken to never received a ballot in the ???," said Paul A Silver '72, one of the opposition candidates who won. "If they're spending so much money on these election mailings I would think that they'd be more efficient," he added.

One-Sixth Vote

Out of a list of 18,680 student members, the Coop received 3459 valid votes which were tabulated at Harvard's Computing Center on the basis of proportional representation.

"We sent ballots out to student members on the basis of a membership list provided by the Harvard Trust," said Howard W. Davis, who recently became the Coop's general manager. "I have heard reports that some students never received any ballots and that disturbs me."

"According to our agreement with Harvard Trust, the bank is required to provide us with up-to-date membership lists on computer tape," said Fred Fox, the Coop's controller, who supervisedelection procedures.

"Many members, however, are a very transient group and their addresses change frequently," he added.

'Coop Coup'

Before 1968, elections for the Coop's student directors were held in sparsely attended gatherings in Harvard Hall. As a result of a massive but unsuccessful "Coop Coup" that year, the Coop's stockholders reformed election procedures so that all student members receive mailed ballots.

This is the second election conducted under the new system, which, Coop officials say, cost an additional $30,000 to Coop members.

Other opposition candidates elected were: Joseph B. Centifanti, a third year student at the Business School; John A. Newkink, an M.I.T. senior; and Ronald M. Bernstein '73.

Seven of the eleven student candidates nominated by the stockholders gained positions on the board: Francesta Farmer Ormes '71; Joseph Angland, an M.I.T. senior; James A. Monk, a graduate student at M.I.T.; Harvey C. Dzodin. a student in the Law School Business School joint degree program; James M. Zeigenmeyer. a graduate student at M.I.T.; Richard R. Manning '73, GSAS.