Bureaucratic Hassling

TWICE LAST WEEK, members of Third World, and women's groups gathered outside the Freshman Dean's office to demand that their Freshman Week events be included in the College's official calendar.

And twice the students were met with the same response a polite but unequivocable "no." It probably came as no surprise, since Dean of Freshman Henry C. Moses gave the same answer to minority and women student leaders who met with him individually throughout the year.

Moses' refusal of the groups' request stems from his decision--made in the spring of 1981 in consultation with other College administrators--to withdraw College funding for the Third World event, offered during Freshman Week because these activities were perceived as "separatist."

While Moses refuses to publicize unofficial events in the calendar, he did tell the students they can advertise their activities in the Yard Bulletin and in a special mailing sent out to incoming freshmen over the summer.

But the students do believe a listing in the official calendar will attract more freshmen to their events, and they see the issue above all as a symbolic one. Listing the events, they argue, adds legitimacy to the activities. The events will take place anyway, so there is no logical reason for the College to deny this tacit endorsement for Third World and women's groups on campus. And the Freshman Dean's office should go one step further and restore the funding.

The College is not always so oblivious to the special needs of Third World students, many of whom come from communities that are radically different from Harvard. Each April, the admissions office hosts a prefreshman orientation designed to address the concerns of minority students and introduce them to Third World groups on campus. But somehow that understanding got lost between Byerly and University Halls, and the same events that were supportive in the spring became separatist in the fall.

"I feel used," one minority freshman told Moses last week, commenting on the discrepancy between the admissions office and freshman dean's policies. Another student, speaking at a race relations conference last weekend, was even harsher: "The College is using minority students like a circus--to perform for other people." The students see the calendar issue as part of a wider University disregard for the concerns of Third World and women students.

Critics might rightfully argue that College concerns do not extend beyond their affirmative action statistics, especially when officials steadfastly oppose a small request such as the calendar listing--a demand that has drawn support from a new Third World Students Alliance, women's groups as well as the Undergraduate Council. If some students perceive the activities as separatist, the College should work to alter that perception largely by its own endorsement, rather than throwing the baby out with the bathwater.

Furthermore, Moses' refusal is inconsistent even with his own "policy" since the Freshman Week calendar lists religious events, including a Hillel brunch, and a gathering for international students (Moses last week admitted to student protesters that this event possibly should not be included in the calendar.) Taken against this backdrop of inconsistency, the bureaucratic tempest in a teapot is even more absurd. And while Moses' intractability may improve his standing in the administration, it strongly erodes his relationship with the students his office is meant to serve.

The College must endorse and underwrite these needed activities not only while luring sought-after minority prospectives to Harvard, but also from the moment they set foot on campus. These groups may not always have the resources--or the perseverence--to sponsor these activities without College support.