B-School Peace Group Members Ask Student Body Head to Resign

Both the chairman and the publicity director of the Business School's Vietnam Peace Committee yesterday called upon the leader of the Business School's student body, Carl G. Hokanson, to resign his post. They charge him with stopping the local and national press from publicizing their anti-Vietnam petition.

Hokanson, a second-year MBA candidate and chairman of the Student Association, said last week that he telephoned United Press International, the Associated Press, the New York Times, the Wall Street Journal, the Boston Globe, and the Herald-Traveler to warn them about the "accuracy and validity" of the petition, which was signed by more than 500 MBA students.

In yesterday's Harbus, the Business School's weekly newspaper, the chairman of the HBS Vietnam Peace Committee, Peter C. Aldrich '66. asked Hokanson to resign because of Hokanson's "obvious and unconscionable attempt to deprive hundreds of individuals of the opportunity to exercise their right of free speech."

No Confidence

At a Student Association meeting yesterday afternoon, David Baxendale '69, a first-year MBA candidate and S.A. member, presented the following motion asking for a vote of no confidence and Hokanson's resignation:

"Whereas the chairman of the Student Association acted without consultation of the Student Association, without identifiable support of the student body, after a declared neutrality on the issue, and made a news release which acted effectively to silence the free expression of a large minority of Business School students in their displeasure over the continuance of the Vietnam war by calling into question the accuracy of the petitionand the intentions of the petition's organizers:

"Be it resolved that the Student Association cannot accept this action and calls for a vote of no confidence and resignation of the chairman."

Baxendale refused to accept a friendly amendment which would only have censured Hokanson. After 20 minutes of debate, the resolution was tabled until next Wednesday.

Hokanson refused last night to comment on the action taken against him.