Civil Rights Clearing-House Set Up To Encourage College Participation

A group of University professors and ministers have formed a clearing-house to provide information on civil rights activities in the Boston area.

The group, the Civil Rights Information Service, includes John Bullitt '43, professor of English and Master of Quincy House; Charles P. Price '41, University Preacher; Richard E. Mumma of the United Ministry, Henry C. Hatfield '33, professor of German, and Samuel D. Bell. Jr., assistant professor of Microbiology at the Medical School.

In a statement released yesterday, the group's founders said that CRIS would provide "information, liason, and soon...a pool of people willing to help in one way or another." Hatfield said that there are many people who support the civil rights movement but cannot find a suitable way to work for it. CRIS will circulate information on the various civil rights groups and their activities.

A list of people in CRIS will be drawn up and distributed in the near future, Hatfield said. These people will give information to anyone who contacts them and will be able to answer questions about how to participate in civil rights activities. At present, the Service is operating through the United Ministry offices in PBH.

No Membership Requirements

Membership in CRIS is open to anyone in the Harvard community. Members will be contacted by civil rights groups who need volunteers for projects. The CRIS statement stressed, however, that no member will be required to participate in any project.

Hatfield said that CRIS has no other specific plans at this time. CRIS will strive to remain in an inactive, liason role in the civil rights movement, however and will have no "official ties" with other organizations, he said.

The Service will have no constitution and "probably no officers." Hatfield said it will ask only for "commitment to the general direction of the civil rights movement, including the obligation to do some thing specific."