Martinez Retracts Allegations Of Racism Behind His Ouster

The former president of the student cabinet at the Graduate School of Education last night publicly apologized for statements he made earlier this week alleging that racial motives led to his removal as president of that body.

Leroy J. Martinez, who had been displaced as president of the cabinet at a meeting last Friday, wrote, "I would like to retract these statements which I made in anger."

"I was wrong in saying that my displacement was racially motivated, or that members of Hakvutza, the Jewish student organization, had conspired to pack the April 30 meeting," he continued.

Robert Rosenberg, representative of Hakvutza to the cabinet, said last night he thinks it's an "honorable" statement.

"Leroy has displayed a kind of statesmanship about the matter," he said, and added, "I hope as educators we first and foremost respond as learners and learn from this."

The flare-up began last week when members of the student cabinet moved to oust the president, alleging that he had covered up an investigation of unauthorized telephone calls.

Additionally, a petition is circulating through the school asking that all student representatives to the cabinet be elected at large, eliminating guaranteed representation of eight special interest groups on the 16-member panel. The petition further aggravated the dispute.

Several GSE students contacted last night said they were suprised by the retraction.

One student, who asked not to be identified, said, "I wonder what happened, what pressures he was submitted to. I just hope he really believes what he says--you have to believe him. I don't think a lot of people go around retracting statements."

In his statement, Martinez also wrote that "it is crucial that all of us strive toward creating a reliable and harmonius atmosphere for all GSE students as well as the greater Harvard community."

Rosenberg responded to the statement, saying, "I think what all members of the Ed School have learned in the last two weeks and especially the last 48 hours is that the word racism if it is to have any real meaning, is to be used very carefully."

In statements to the Crimson earlier this week, Martinez said the cabinet members who circulated the petition had "racial motives behind their actions" and added that members of Hakvutzah "had gone out looking for people and there was a block represented at that meeting."

Martinez said last night that he feels he was contributing more to the hostility at the GSE and that "a stand had to be taken here to unite rather than disunite."

In his statement, he also outlined the major issues confronting the school--a petition circulating calling for a reconstitution of the GSE student government and his displacement as president of the student government.

He said his retraction does not mean that these issues are resolved, but that he had a responsibility "to calm things down.