Corporation Statement

The Corporation has taken note of the action of the Faculty of Arts and Sciences yesterday afternoon in clarifying and expanding its resolution of February 4, 1969 on the subject of the status of ROTC at Harvard. We have already instituted negotiations to carry out the wishes of the Faculty as expressed in their vote of February fourth. As the Faculty has stated, there are other interested faculties whose views are entitled to considerations. Subject to such consideration we now accept the Faculty's clarification vote of April seventeenth and will continue these negotiations adopting the principle that ROTC should become an extracurricular activity and as such should enjoy no special facilities or privileges not ordinarily available to other extracurricular activities.

We are aware of the concerns of the black students at Harvard. Their special interests are now being considered by the various faculties. We share the faculties concern and hope they will speedily find appropriate ways to meet the special interests of these students. However, we do not feel it would be appropriate for us to anticipate the actions of the faculties on these matters.

Students have also expressed concern that the demolition of residential properties and the rental policies of the University have resulted in hardships to the poor and elderly residents of Cambridge and Boston. In the past decade Harvard has acquired by purchase 535 dwelling units in Cambridge of which a majority were in apartment houses. During the same period the University has erected 528 dwelling units for faculty and students and 879 rooms for single students. Of the total 535 units acsuired, 179 have been demolished or otherwise withdrawn from the housing market.

During the same period a lesser number of dwelling units were acquired in Boston to meet the need for medical uses. Most of these dwelling units are to be made available to the Affiliated Hospitals which are planning a large complex designed to bring modern medical services to that community. The University and the Affiliated Hospitals are prepared to build housing for the relocation of the tenants of these properties in accordance with plans already outlined by Dean Ebert on April 15.

Any future expansion of the University which involves the elimination of existing residential housing will include provision for relocating existing tenants similar to those outlined by Dean Ebert in his April 15 statement. Moreover, the University will at the earliest feasible time undertake to replace locations in the Cambridge area and to build other housing for Cambridge residents as we can, subject to the ability to obtain adequate financing from the Federal Government or elsewhere.

As to rentals, it is University policy to hold our rents below the current market for comparable properties. The Wilson Committee indicated that this policy is being carried out. We will ask an independent consultant to confirm that this is the case.

Discipline

We have been asked to comment on the disciplinary actin to be accorded to the students who seized University Hall. In accordance with the recommendation of the Faculty we have proceeded as effectively as we can't to have the pending criminal charges dropped; we regret that our efforts to date have not been successful. As to academic discipline, many years ago the governing boards delegated responsibility for internal disciplinary matters to the respective faculties. Therefore, it is not appropriate for us to comment on the internal disciplinary problem until the faculties have acted.

With respect to the framework of the University, including the role of the governing boards, we recognize that the increase in numbers of students and faculty in recent years, together with the increase in interdisciplinary relationships among the several faculties and deeper involvement with the world outside the University, have resulted in making inadequate the present channels of communication between members of the whole University community and the governing boards.

The Board of Overseers on April fourteenth appointed a committee to undertake an in-depth study of the University. We welcome the re-examination of Harvard's government and we intend to develop and recommend to that committee suggestions for opening new, and widening existing, channels of ideas and information. Those suggestions will include an appropriate means of expressions of both faculty and student views on matters of University-wide concern.