A week after a divisive impeachment trial that left Undergraduate Council Vice President John A. Burton '01 in office, council members on both sides began the process of reconciliation at last night's meeting, with Burton apologizing and opponents withdrawing a censure resolution against President Fentrice D. Driskell '01.

In the first vice-presidential report Burton delivered to the council--two weeks ago he was absent from the meeting, and last week he declined to make his weekly statement--he apologized to the council for his role in the impeachment crisis.

Burton said there were "a lot of things I could have done" differently that could have avoided or mitigated the ordeal of impeachment. But according to Burton, his apology will not be enough to eliminate lingering bad feelings within the council.

"I'm not going to pretend that antagonism is going to disappear overnight," he said.

Driskell also addressed the issue of reconciliation in her weekly remarks.

In response to a censure petition circulated by council member Jeffrey A. Letalien '00, Driskell held a meeting Friday to discuss the concerns Letalien and others have expressed about comments Driskell made to The Boston Globe.

In his petition, Letalien had charged that Driskell improperly cast the impeachment debate in tones of racial discrimination.

Driskell told the council that after the meeting with Letalien and other council members, the parties involved concluded that censure was "not a great idea."