U.C. Funds 'Random Acts of Kindness'

The Undergraduate Council voted last night to mandate kindness. In a 42-17 decision, members agreed to allocate $340 of the council's budget to providing "random acts of kindness" to the Harvard community.

"This bill is about building a community," said Chris King '01 in defense of his bill. "We have got to recognize all of the people who make Harvard what it is."

King said he did not want to constrain the delegations in devising acts of kindness by providing suggestions.

But King said, "We can't trivialize it to be a bill about giving things."

The bill, created in recognition of National Random Acts of Kindness Week which was observed last week, requires that at least one delegation of the council perform per week perform an act of kindness.

The four first-year districts are responsible for performing an act of kindness this week and delegations from each of the Houses will be responsible for the next nine weeks.

After doing something kind, the delegation must report its deed at the council's next meeting.

In another decision to prod the Harvard community into action, the council voted to add its name to a list of signatories of a full-page advertisement promoting "rape awareness and prevention." The statement will appear in The Crimson this week.

The ad hoc Committee on Rape Prevention, which is not affiliated with the council, composed the statement.

The committee met in response to the campus concern about the alleged rape on Jan. 28, according to Rosslyn Wuchinich '99, a member of the committee.

"We saw the U.C. signing on as just another student group signing on," Wuchinich said.

The Radcliffe Union of Students will be paying for the ad, according to Anna M. Baldwin '00.

"There is a need for us to make a statement that the students do care about this," said council member Evelyn H. Sung '99. "This is something that affects us all."

The statement calls for an understanding that rape affects everyone and a campus commitment to speaking out against sexual assault and rape.

The Committee asks for the implementation of seven new ways of attempting to prevent sexual assault on campus, such as "better trained" Advisors and more education.

Baldwin said currently 16 other groups and two deans of Radcliffe have agreed to sign the ad.

Both bills were challenged at last night's meeting.

Several council members objected to spending money on acts of kindness.

"I don't see this as something that we need to spend student money on," said Justin D. Lerer '99, who is also a Crimson editor. "We can be just as creative without money."

Lerer proposed an amendment to strike the money element of the bill. Members voted down the amendment.

All members said they agreed with the general ideas expressed in the statement on rape, but several said they disapproved of the specific ways devised to attempt to prevent rape on campus.

In other business, Samuel C. Cohen '00 announced the results of votes on constitutional amendments that were tallied during the week.

One amendment designed to downsize the council failed. The other, which redraws first-year council districts, passed.