Epps Links Herrnstein To SDS Convention OK

Dean Epps told SDS yesterday that he may refuse to grant them a final permit for holding their National Convention Against Racism here later this month because of recently escalated protests directed at Richard J. Herrnstein, professor of Psychology.

In a letter mailed today, Epps said that Dean Dunlop has expressed serious concern over the protests and that if SDS is responsible for "interference with the academic freedom and right to speak of a member of the Harvard faculty," the permit will not be issued.

Epps said that the permit will also be denied unless SDS agrees to changes in its publicity for the Convention and prepares a plan for keeping order while the Convention is in session.

Dunlop said yesterday that he asked Epps to include in the letter a warning to SDS concerning the Herrnstein protests. He said SDS actions were "not entirely unrelated" to granting permission for the convention.

"In my view there have been some whole new elements made more explicit in the last week or two," Dunlop said. He said several members of the Faculty had spoken to him concerning the convention, but he refused to name specific people.

Herrnstein said last night that he had not spoken to Dunlop concerning the Convention and that he did not know of Epps's letter.

Protests Will Continue

Jeffrey Mayersohn '73, president of SDS, said yesterday that SDS's protests will continue despite Epps's warning. "Obviously we're not going to stop the Herrnstein campaign," he said.

Mayersohn added that SDS is now negotiating with MIT for the use of rooms on March 30 and March 31.

"If we have a schedule printed it would say the opening meeting is at MIT," he said. "What our publicity says is not a principled stand as far as we're concerned."

SDS publicity has said that the convention will be held here from March 30 to April 2. Epps gave tentative approval last month for SDS to hold the meeting on University grounds from the evening of March 31 to April 2. He denied permission for March 30 and the day of March 31--the Thursday and Friday before Spring Recess--because classes are scheduled for those days.

Advertisements must be changed to indicate that the starting date would be Friday evening, March 31," Epps said.

Epps also requested "a list of appropriate marshals and a plan for maintaining good order" at the convention. He said that Bonnie Blustein '72--the SDS member designated by the group to assign marshals--was unacceptable because she is currently under a suspended requirement to withdraw from the College by the Committee on Rights and Responsibilities.

Blustein was disciplined for being a member of a group that subjected Sargent Kennedy '28, former secretary to the Corporation, to intense personal harassment last Spring