Following a two-hour meeting last night, the Election Commission, which oversees the Undergraduate Council's presidential elections, fined candidate B.J. Averell '02 17 points for campaign violations--the largest number of penalty points assessed to one campaign in one day yet this year, and equivalent to the number assigned yesterday to all the rest of the candidates combined.

The commission decided that a photo of Averell and his running mate Amias M. Gerety '02 that appeared in Monday's edition of Averell's Crimson comic strip, "The Neil World," constituted inappropriate campaigning.

Other campaigns had also complained about an Opportunes concert this weekend which is being, hosted by Averell and B.J. Novak '02--the stars of last spring's "BJ Show."

"Because this event was planned weeks and weeks ago, and because B.J. was approached by the group, not the other way around, we are allowing the advertising posters," said Kyle D. Hawkins '02, chair of the election commission. "However, B.J. is strongly, strongly advised not to make any allusions to the U.C. in the show."

Hawkins said he and other members of the commission were already intending to attend the concert to hear the Opportunes.

Averell said that, while he regretted the point deductions, the tactics in question represented his overall approach to the campaign.

"When students think of someone who is going out of their way and sometimes even breaks the rules to make Harvard a more fun place, they'll think of B.J. and Amias," he said. "We're thinking outside the box. The Man doesn't like that."

That brings Averell and Gerety's point total for campaign violations to 31, and their total monetary penalty to $61, This means Averell and Gerety can only spend $29 of the $100 allotted inibecause in addition to the dollar-per-point deduction, candidates are penalized $10 for every set of 10 points lost.