Women's Studies Group Gives Petition to Rosovsky Supporting Concentration

The Committee on Women's Studies yesterday submitted a petition to Dean Rosovsky containing over 1100 student signatures supporting the group's proposal to consider the creation of a women's studies concentration.

The petition asks Rosovsky to take prompt action on the proposal, which he received over three weeks ago.

Wait 'Til the Fall

Rosovsky said last night the committee proposal is "going through proper channels." Several committees and faculty members are now considering the suggestions, he said, and "nothing much will happen until the fall."

The women's group proposal specifically asks the University to form a student-faculty committee to investigate women's studies, hire a visiting professor in the field, and provide incentives for current faculty to do work in the area.

The dean has made no official acknowledgement of the proposal, which was approved in modified form by the Committee on Undergraduate Education shortly after the committee passed it on to Rosovsky.

Rosovsky said he will reply "when I get around to it, probably before the end of the year," adding that "everyone wants replies the day after tomorrow, and it can't be done." He declined to comment on the petition.

"We kind of expected Rosovsky would sit on it until the summer," Anna K. Clark '79, a member of the committee said yesterday.

Not a Burning Issue

"It appears that he doesn't consider women's studies the burning issue on campus," Laurie K. Gibbs '77, a member of the committee, said yesterday. "But he will eventually because we do have support for this, as shown by the petition and the success of the travelling colloquium series," she added.

The Harvard administration doesn't like to make changes, Dena B. Groisser '78 said yesterday in explaining the lack of action taken by Rosovsky so far.

"There's so much that is being done in the field that's somehow still invisible at Harvard," Groisser said.

The committee distributed the petitions last week in house dining halls and at organization meetings, according to Laura Lifsey '77, another committee member.

Groisser said the student caucus of the Committee on Houses and Undergraduate Life is now considering an endorsement of the proposal which the Educational Resources Group, a student advisory body of the Faculty council, voted to support three weeks ago.