Coalition Stages Racism Protest At Ed School

About 60 people gathered in the rain outside Gutman Library yesterday afternoon to protest the Graduate School of Education's policies towards members of Harvard's minority community.

Josefina Vasquez, who coordinated the "Speak Out" sponsored by the Third World Coalition, said yesterday that Ed School administrators "won't throw rocks through your window, or burn your house down, but you still feel the racism in subtler ways."

A coalition statement released Monday said the Ed School's "racist policy extends itself to the hiring of Third World faculty, to admissions of Third World students, and to brutality toward Third World workers throughout the University."

More Diverse Faculty

Blenda J. Wilson, associate dean of the Ed School, said yesterday, "I think that the record will show that GSE has had a more diverse faculty with respect to minority people than any other school in the University."

Vasquez cited James P. Breeden, associate professor of Education, as an example of the administration's refusal to hire progressive third world teachers and the Ed School's denial of tenure or renewal of contract to those whom the administration has hired.

Breeden, who spoke at the forum yesterday, has not been offered tenure by the Ed School. Wilson denied yesterday that Breeden was refused tenure because of his third world political affiliations.

Minority Admissions Down

Vasquez said the percentage of non-white applicants admitted to the Ed School has declined this year and that "compared to last year, the number of Chicanos and Puerto Ricans admitted into the master's program up to date has been cut in half."

Walter J. McCann Jr., chairman of the Ed School's admissions committee, said yesterday that financial aid is less available for the Ed School than for other schools of the University, and that the administration "is disturbed" by the decline in minority applicants compared to the total number of applicants that has occurred this year.

The coalition met with Paul N. Ylvisaker, dean of the Ed School, on Monday to discuss its grievances and Ylvisaker is expected to give the coalition a written reply next Wednesday, Vasquez said.

Ylvisaker was in Washington, D.C. yesterday and unavailable for comment.

Wilson said the "Speak Out" was "inconsistent" with what was agreed upon at a meeting held with coalition members yesterday. But neither Wilson nor Vasquez would elaborate on the agreement.

The statement that the coalition handed out Monday said "We are forced into the streets because meetings with the Administration at this school have proved to be a waste of our time.