Law Students Urge Affirmative Action

A coalition of minority student organizations seeking an end to what they perceive as "institutional racism" at the Law School will today present a set of affirmative action proposals to University officials.

The minority coalition will urge that representatives of Third World organizations be allowed to participate in the student admissions process and that greater emphasis be placed on the hiring of minority professors.

In a letter accompanying a one-page statement to Law School Dean James Vorenberg '49 and other administrators, the Third World Coalition acknowledges that Harvard has tried to alter its "unfair" admissions process but contends that "the Law School's attempts to correct the situation have been largely inadequate."

In addition to proposing affirmative action programs for student admissions and faculty-hiring, the coalition will request that the Law School intensify its efforts to recruit minority students.

"We think this is a reasonable proposal that meets the faculty halfway because it doesn't encroach" on their power, chairman of the coalition Nicky Cheats said yesterday.

Third World Staffer

Under the coalition's plan, Harvard would hire an administrator for Third World recruitment, establish a comprehensive recruitment budget, work through professional minority organizations in local communities, and commit itself to funding the same number of recruiting trips currently organized by minority groups.

For student admissions, the coalition proposes that each Third World organization be allowed to either

* Review applications from students of their respective race or nationality and recommend who should be admitted.

* Or review rejected applications and resubmit them to the admissions committee for a second review

Strong Accusations

The coalition states in its letter to Vorenberg that the Law School's admissions criteria are "racially discriminatory" and that "as a result, many highly qualified minority applicants are passed over in the admissions process."

The coalition will also ask that the Law School hire at least two visiting Third World professors each year for the purpose of locating potential candidates for tenured positions. The Law School currently retains two Black professors, one of whom has been tenured.

The coalition states that Harvard's criteria for faculty hiring, "though ostensibly race blind, proves to be racially discriminatory, since few minorities attend excellent law schools and fewer still selected for law reviews"

Participating in the coalition are the Black Law Students Association, the Asian-American Law Students Association, L' Allianza--representing Chicano students--the Native American Law Students Association, and La Sociedade Inter-American--representing Caribbean and Latino law students.

"There is a glaring need for more minority students and faculty members," said Cecil McNab, president of the Native American Law students group

Vorenberg declined comment yesterday because he has yet to see the minority proposal.

The coalition released the details of its proposals yesterday on the condition that The Crimson quote directly from the one-page cover letter, but not from the suggested guidelines.

Columbia Action

Student organizations at Columbia University Law School last week filed a petition with the federal Department of Labor, charging that the school discriminates against women and minorities in faculty hiring.

Several Harvard professors and administrators said yesterday that the Law School has been more successful in attracting minority faculty members than Columbia.

"We've had some what better results than Columbia," said Delter F. Vagts. Goldston Professors of Law

Greg M Weston, a spokesman for the student umbrella group which filed the Columbia petition, said yesterday that "there's a pervasive felling at [Law school] campuses across the nation that discrimination in hiring is a problem