Harvard: Where do we go from here?, Part 1

Good evening I'm Roger Fisher. Tonight Channel 2 will have an open ended discussion regarding me among his many students faculty and administrators with our Where do we go from here. At Harvard this program is being shown on a large screen in the Ames courtroom at the Harvard Law School. There will also be an opportunity for phoning in questions and for questions from our studio audience. But first we will have a summary of today's news at Harvard. Here is what the lower line of the New York the Harvard excuse me. Go ahead. Well you bring the nose as close up to date as we can. The Harvard faculty met for more than four hours this afternoon ending just less than an hour ago on the issues the student demands by an overwhelming vote the faculty called on the corporation to end ROTC contracts as soon as legally possible and to enter into no new ROTC contract already privileging informal arrangement. This voted three eighty five to 25 was clearly a move to make the issue that is

spearheaded by militant student group. It goes beyond the earlier faculty vote to withdraw all academic credit from ROTC. It does not absolutely abolish ROTC as the militant STDs are demanded. This resolution by Professor Jeremy Brunner States. That any student who wishes to participate in our old TC do so independently and arrangement between the individual student and the ROTC. This seems to leave it an extra curricular voluntary activity among the privileges withdrawn would probably be for use of Harvard buildings. The faculty then heard the appeal of Afro-American student leaders to be given a share in the setting up of the new Afro-American graduate studies program. The Afro students because sad were not belligerent. We are not rigid but they are designed to create such a program satisfying to Afro students they must have a share in the process. Well there's the faculty finally tabled until Tuesday after several had said they were confused as to the procedures being proposed

to handle and sad the post changes in the program would make it very hard to get top scholars to join its faculty. He had to be held over for further consideration of the next meeting President Pusey called Hamilton's proposal eminently wise and then by a vote of 239 to 150. This Afro studys issue was postponed till Tuesday. Now the prime and scheduled purpose of the faculty meeting today was to elect the faculty committee to deal with the seizure of university hall last week to determine discipline Alric and to recommend changes in the governing of the university. This proton long involved process after more than four hours only two of the seven 10 year members had been elected. Professor Stanley Hoffman and Professor James Q. Wilson. That means these two got the most votes. Both have been active in presenting the issues of student demand which indicates at least the way the vote is going this committee of 15 is to have five students elected by students in the house is to have two junior faculty members without tenure and seven senior faculty members and one law

professor while the counting of ballots was incomplete. When the faculty meeting adjourned so back to Raj official. Thank you. Knowing the first segment of this program will be devoted to the expression of some DUIs from radical members of the student body which were excluded or at least not included in last night's program on Harvard because of the number of other people involved because the shortness of the program tonight were open ended. And we're going to start off first period of time to give some of radical students a chance to speak to one of the Fellows of Harvard one of the members of the corporation who is here tonight to participate in this discussion due to the lateness of the faculty meeting. Most of our faculty members have not shown up. They were difficult to reach during the meeting. We hope that members of the faculty will come down and drop in and participate in this discussion during the evening. We're expecting Professor Brunner here shortly before 8:00 o'clock we hope others will follow

shortly thereafter. Before we start off with our discussion let's just identify ourselves around the table those of us who are here for the first part of the program. I'm Roger Fisher a consultant public affairs editor at the deviation on the faculty of the law school. Karen in GBH and I'm in law school I'm very OConnell in on a member of the committee for radical structural reform. I'm Richard Rabinowitz and I'm a teaching fellow in history and lead representative of the Harvard new college. And Hugh Calkins one of the fellows who are members of the Harvard Corporation and Norman Daniels a member of the strike committee. It's right striking on the eight demands. Fine thank you very much. Why don't we start off and say that each of you has can say almost what he wants to say about why he's here and what we're doing what he'd like to be said. I do not want to limit the agenda although the program itself

is directed to where do we go from here. We hope during the course of the evening to identify issues areas of disagreement and who's supposed to be dealing with those disagreements and how they ought to be handled at least what the disagreement is about. But I I don't want to limit what you can say if you have a chance you have a captive member of the corporation here. And if you want to say something about the situation Harvard each of you can have four or five minutes to do it Mr. O'Connell Why don't you start. You know them and I was assuming that most people watching tonight have some idea who we are at this point. The proposal which was passed at the stadium. It was a proposal that a group of us originally submitted should be stressed that our proposal is I think a very strong it calls for the abolition of Razzi in very strong terms. It asked that there be no new contracts that all present contracts be terminated and that no non contractual agreements or informal arrangements of any kind be made regarding Roxy.

We also request that the university we demand the university replace any scholarship lost to Harvard students through the termination of these contracts. We support the demands of the Afro-American students and then we also on the question of discipline feel the discipline should be administered by a faculty student committee. However that committee is bound to consider no punishment greater than probation and that means even if someone is presently on probation who is involved in the seizure of the building that they would not be asked to leave the university and would be named members of this community. Then we have a very long and complicated amount of expansion and I'll try to summarize it as quickly as I can. Essentially what we want from the corporation is a very strong and binding commitment. That there will be no further physical expansion of Harvard until the views of the surrounding community

are represented adequately in the decision making process. And I must also immediately commit its resources to the development of 3000 housing units at least one half of which must be devoted to low income families and the elderly in Cambridge. There are more of these housing demands. Harvard must not take any dwelling units out of the non-university housing stock in those provided new relocation housing. Also no relocation occur when the university road apartments and not at the medical school complex until such time as the university is provided nearby comparable housing satisfactory to the residents in those areas. Go away from the proposal for a minute to stress something about how I feel about the strike at this point and where I stand on a number of the issues that faces these issues are difficult ones. But it should be pointed out I think to the audience that a number of groups strikes

during committee that norm is here speaking for our group and others have made very strong and very explicit demands. The administration of the corporation and in fact in a stadium meeting there was an explicit demand that the corporation and administration where appropriate respond to these demands within three days. We've had no direct response in any way from the Corporation of the administration. And I see this is yet one more sign of at least the corporations having apparently decided that we are not members of this community since they have not listened to what has been asked of them and made any direct response at all. And I think this is a very serious issue. A great many people who are out on strike now. And even people who have decided not to go out on strike seem to see the strike as an attack against the faculty. I think it should be stressed here that I at least do not see that as any case what I stand for. The strike is against

the corporation and against the administration and in fact I'd be very happy if the faculty would decide that the community here and Harvard is made up of people who teach here and the students who are here and that they have a very serious and direct responsibility for the community around them and that we should join together and strike. I'll stop at that and thank you very much. So I turned to the minister and I know it's and you want to make an opening statement. Excuse me Mr. Bennett would you identify yourself. Peter O'Grady All right we have a couple of minutes. To civility for the community around.

Now that comes down to a criticism that I have even of this meeting the way for instance you said that you represent a number of people and the way this body of people here seems to represent a number of people I mean I think that at least all the people in this room should be equally engaged in this discussion. Mr. O'Grady your statement we have to talk at the same time I'm glad to have you here make a couple of minutes we'll go round to Mr. Bennett what's the chance of an opportunity before this station goes off the air for any person to say make a statement we want to make to make thought that clear. Definitely go ahead now and have a cup with you want to take a talk later then go ahead. If you want to participate now I'll participate when I want to. Well not right now then nor in fact Mr. Venner want to be a go ahead place. I think perhaps it's since what I have to say is not directly related to Mr. O'Connell's

statement which I actually support and don't see as is and anyway sort of impinging on this I just assume it was go to to hear the other side of the demand issue anyway. My position is quite I'd like to have a chance to put my demands forward if I could live with this just one I want make sure Mr Bean what you're through right from the time they're all right. I know what it's going to do we're going around the table I'm here were we. I'd simply like to say that I'd prefer to listen before I thought I had my chance to talk last night and I'm sure many of the people who are watching tonight were watching last night. I would rather sit and listen to what others have to say and I'll be glad to comment later. Very fine thank you would you give us your name identification guy my name is Jesse and I'm from the invasion of Harvard's we have six demands. FUCK YOU president U.S. box dude I'm sorry.

They also have a statement to make about the media. You see this.

It was great then when you're tired. Fine great. We have that as a requirement. Or you go back on the go. All right we'll take take it back up on the air. And I do think if we're going to have some discussion as to Jesse I'm happy to hear you but want to let Mr. Daniels have a chance. So I just want to finish my program. You see I feel that I have as much control this program as you do and I'm challenging you know you're right you control it the way you are right now. You want to moderate her that I'd like to see that for a moment or two of that lottery what are you where you're going to set my mind if you like. Yes I am. Be damned if he hasn't copied my tactic. Thank you no wonder you didn't want to you don't have time to watch it. We have something to say but you cut me off when I was trying to say. Go ahead and say it if you want to suggest a I'm word we would like an expression during this part of the program of the most radical views we have and your preference for it's the most radical views we

have here I'd like to speak very frankly and I think that this gentleman is ahead. He's on the show and I very much want to hear as a matter of fact we want to be on a show. I think something that we should hand the Senate to reform is proposing to have some discussion. Mr. Daniels We take the floor very much. Now in any stronger terms the presence of King Collins here at this table Mr. Jesse he doesn't even want to say his own name. It's not that he's ashamed of it I think he's ashamed of his politics which hardly represents. I'm serious. You're the one who's got you know I think King Collins beyond a lot of things but one thing he is beyond is the seriousness of this struggle that we are having here at Harvard. I am here speaking not for the strike committee I am a member of the strike committee and we are

striking on eight demands the content of those demands expresses our orientation both towards Harvard and towards the world at large. The content of those demands is an intent to express our feeling that Harvard as a corporation and as an educational institution. He's not operating in the interests of students and working people all around the world. And the content of our demands is an attempt to make that clear. I don't think Collins has any content any of his demands except that he is not interested in fighting the real enemy and he has turned many of his attacks on students at Harvard in his attempts to disrupt Harvard class you have to want to really be alive. I I would like to be able to finish what I'm saying because I think what I'm saying is of much more interest to the people of Cambridge and the people of Boston than Collins has to say if you want to say what he wants to say you can say it later but I don't want him to take away from the few