Bok Urging Aid to Minorities

In an apparent attempt to address perceived racial and other tensions among undergraduates, President Bok has quietly suggested increasing the role of individual Houses in supporting specific ethnic and extracurricular groups, several masters said yesterday.

Summarizing what he said were broad ideas "floated" by the president at a meeting with the masters five weeks ago and in subsequent informal conversations, one master, who declined to be identified, said yesterday Bok has indicated that "if somebody doesn't do something about some of these groups, they get neglected."

Bok last night called masters' suggestions that he has urged them to step up programs to aid groups with heavy concentrations in their Houses "a little premature," but added, "I'm not saying I'm opposed to that."

He stressed that he has urged masters to develop "initiatives in the Houses" that "improve the quality of life," including alleviating "the kind of racial tension that exists in some Houses." Bok also said he has broadly urged the masters to address the problem of harassment of gay students.

The president recently suggested increasing House roles in supporting organizations' programs and lending facilities to groups, the masters said.

Trying

Saying he has devised no formal program for the masters to follow, Bok said he has been "trying to initiate a process where I could help wherever possible." However, he added, "I'd like to leave [the masters] alone as much as possible so they can use their direct experience to do what is most appropriate."

But, he added, "I may be back in touch with the masters" if they seek his advice or "to find out if they are following up" their ideas for improving House life.

Disagreement

House masters contacted yesterday differed on whether individual Houses should increase their support for unusually heavily represented groups, with most arguing that such steps would provide congenial environments for minority group members and some contending the move might separate Houses along lines of race or organizational affiliation.

"If a given House were to put an effort into some sort of program [to aid a student group], that would be very worthwhile," Dr. Warren E.C. Wacker, master of South House, said yesterday, lauding the example Adams House has set in supporting programs for gay students.

John E. Dowling '57, master of Leverett House, yesterday praised the president's suggestions and added that many Houses already feature programs designed to assimilate minority and other groups.

"I certainly am in sympathy with his view that we should try to iron out a lot of difficulties here in the Houses," Dowling said, adding the move would decrease the "isolation" minorities often feel.

"When you have groups feeling isolated within the whole University, people begin to feel paranoid and positions begin to harden. That's when situations begin to develop," he added.

But one master, who declined to be identified, said yesterday that "I don't think it'll work" and that carrying out the move should be handled "with extreme sensitivity," if at all. He added that if Houses bolster programs for groups currently associated with them, disproportionate representation of minorities and others in the Houses could increase.

Dean Fox, who chaired the masters' meeting at which Bok first voiced his concern over behavior in the Houses and over incidents of harassment, declined to comment last night