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New Senior Officers' Closeness to Class Marshals Questioned

However, the senior who asked not to be identified said that certain houses are underrepresented among the eight marshals, all of whom live in Adams, Leverett, Quincy, Winthrop and Kirkland houses.

She added that choosing three new members from Adams and one from Leverett did not broaden the committee's outreach.

"I do have a hard time believing that [the candidates chosen] were so far and beyond all of the others," she said. "All other things being equal, you should choose people you know represent people who do not already have representation."

Lee, who is a blockmate of Kacholia and a former Crimson executive, said she believes that the committee is quite representative of the class.

"Even though we live in the same place, we represent diverse extracurriculars and diverse concentrations," Lee said.

Mishra said last week that his friendship with Bahat had no effect on the deliberations.

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"[The treasurer candidates] were all very high-profile people on this campus," Mishra said. "They were people that a couple of us would know, on some level or another. The whole process was done very professionally."

Kaufman said last week that there were seven candidates for secretary, any of whom would have been "very good."

Kaufman said that the marshals discussed whether choosing so many candidates from Adams House might look bad, but that the marshals did not "let that stop [them] from choosing the best candidates."

Erin E. O'Malley '98, a marshal, said that she did not know Bahat, the sub-committee's choice for treasurer, and was therefore impartial.

"I feel 100 percent confident that we have the most qualified person for the job," O'Malley said. "To penalize [Bahat] because of the proximity in which he lives to another marshal would be unfair, and the class would lose out."

Diane Jellis, of the Classes and Reunions office, works with the class marshals to choose members of the Class Committee.

Jellis said that in the outside world, employers are sometimes forced to interview friends and family.

"I don't have a problem with it," Jellis said. "I think the orientation we gave them told them how important the job is. I have great faith in [the marshals].... We tell them, 'Just be careful.'

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