And AALARM President DeGiorgio says some students avoid taking controversial stand publicly, even when they have strong private opinions.

"A student in my constitutional law class who I knew to be avidly pro-life changed his position in this class because he didn't want anyone to know," DeGiorgio says.

When confronted with issues that could be potentially damaging, many student politicians have learned to equivocate. "I probably joined the Currier House football pool this year," says Aronberg.

"The fifteenth week of the pool I won the whole thing," adds Aronberg. "On the typed sheet it said. 'you may want to save this."

But while some student politicians strictly conform to the new rules, others rail against the system.

"I think politicians should just say, 'damn it. "I've done some bad stuff"' says Taxin. I think Bill Clinton should have said, 'sure, I smoked something myself, and if everyone who smoked pot voted for me, I will win by a landslide bigger than Reagan in '84."

Other student politicians say the new rules have largely turned them off from politics.

"As a profession , the work that it entails does not interest me much," says Allan H. Erbsen '94 former head of Students for Tsongas and a member of the Civil Liberties Union of Harvard.

"Right now I can't see myself sitting down and running for office. And, well, as my roommate adds, wining," Erbsen jokes.

But not every student politician fear the new rules will someday affect their political careers. Some say the hype may just be a trend--like the hula hoop--and that in the future no one will care about their college days.

"I think people have to forgive because what people do when they're 20 doesn't mean they'll do the same things when they're 50 or 55," Taxin says.

"I drink a lot and I've been with my share of women, but I'm not into drugs and I pay my taxes," he adds, then pauses.

"Well, I probably won't go into politics anyway."