Professors, Administrators Debate Affirmative Action at Bakke Forum

A panel of five Harvard professors and administrators last night discussed the central issues of the Bakke case and its implications before an overflow audience of roughly 450 people in Science Center C.

Alan M. Dershowitz, professor of Law, said he supported the principle of affirmative action for disadvantaged persons but is "strongly opposed to any program which excludes anyone on racial grounds alone"--including the program at U.C. Davis medical school that Allan Bakke sued for admission.

Dershowitz said he is critical of Harvard's admissions program because it "prefers wealthy blacks to poor blacks, in that Harvard admissions wants simply to increase the number of blacks" in the easiest way possible.

Lawrence H. Tribe, professor of Law, said race plays an important role in non-discriminatory admissions programs.

"We must conceed that lower scores and grades need not mean lower ability," Tribe said, adding, "From this perspective, considering race is just a means of insuring fair admissions."

Michael L. Walzer, professor of Government, said he was opposed to all quota systems, "every benign quota is malevolent for someone."

Towards Justice

"There is an enormous difference between dividing people by their achievements and dividing people by their race, ethnicity, and economic background," Walzer added.

Thomas C. Holt, associate professor of Afro-American Studies and of History, and Daniel Steiner '54, general counsel to the University, also took part in the discussion, which at times became a lively and informative debate. "I think it went extremely well," Lisa C. Jones '79, symposium moderator, said afterwards. "The discussion was very lively, as was predicted." Jones said, adding. "I think everyone enjoyed it."

The Harvard Memorial Society sponsored the symposium.