Indian Study Plan Outlined For Harvard

Representatives of the Intertribal Council of Harvard (ITC) will meet with Dean May today to discuss the establishment of an American Indian Studies Program at Harvard.

At May's request, the ITC last week presented him with an outline for a Harvard American Indian Studies Program.

If Dean May agrees that the proposal is feasible the American Indian group will ask that a student-Faculty committee be set up to examine the situation further, an ITC spokesman said yesterday.

May said his initial reaction to the proposal was one of "interest," but added that there were a number of issues-especially financing-which must be resolved before such a program can be established.

At the present time, there is one American Indian at Harvard, two at Radcliffe, and about 12 others in the various graduate schools.

At an informal meeting with May on Jan. 16, representatives of the ITC-a 20-man student organization composed of both Indians and non-Indians-said that the field of American Indian Studies is a legitimate academic discipline that is "grossly underdeveloped," and asked Harvard to consider the possibility of instituting an Indian studies program.

Ropresentatives of the ITC pointed out that there are almost 100 million Indians living on the North American continent today, and that, with the exception of a few anthropology courses. Harvard does not offer its students the opportunity to study these people.

At the end of that meeting. May asked the group to draw up a definite proposal and then to report back to him.