Burton, on the other hand, stresses the insight he's gained from time outside the council, writing for Perspective, the Advocate and The Crimson and working with the Office for the Arts.

"It deflated my impression of the U.C.," says Burton, who hails from Miami, Fla. and Cabot House. "If you spent 20 hours in the U.C. office and that's all, you get a warped view."

Last spring, Burton took a break from the council after serving as its treasurer for two semesters. He remained on council but devoted most of his time to other activities.

And last week, Burton was kicked off the council for 10 absences--twice the allowable five--an episode Burton says was do to scheduling conflicts and will not be repeated.

"As vice president, I could never do this," he said. "Even as a U.C. member, it's not the best thing to do, but it was appropriate under these circumstances." The council's executive board re-instated Burton as a member this weekend.

Both Driskell and Burton pledge to reform the council if elected.

They say they would make sure council delegates hold weekly office hours in their House dining halls.

"Being on the U.C. all the time, your perspective gets skewed," says Burton, who says he walks around the dining hall one night most weeks to meet his constituents. "It's nice to get the person who says, 'U.C., what's that?'"