Minorities Will Picket Outside FDO At Midday

A coalition of Third World groups will picket the Freshman Dean's office this afternoon to highlight their claims that the University is insensitive to minority students' concerns about faculty curriculum and support services.

Today's planned demonstration was triggered by the college's refusal to publicize the groups minority oriented events in the official freshman week calendar, they added.

The students said Harvard has also ignored the need for increased minority representation on the Faculty and administration more courses on Third World groups in the United States, and student representation on the board of the Harvard Foundation.

The rally, organized by an informal coalition of minority student organizations represents one of the first such united Third World student actions at the College in several years, minority student leader said yesterday.

Also, several Third World cultural groups invited to participate in the College's official program, may refuse that offer and instead perform as part of the coalition's events they added.

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Dean of Freshmen Henry C Moses last week rejected the coalition's request that he list their events in the official calendar because such activities are not part of the College's Freshman week program. Moses said recently Harvard, which used to sponsor Third World events during freshman week withdrew funding for the program last year because of its "separatist" aspects administrators said recently.

But minority student leaders said the activities, which are open to all students offer an important support network to entering Third World students "The events look far more separatist if the University doesn't support them," Alan C. Shaw '85, president of the Black Students Association, said yesterday.

The groups are also circulating petitions in support of the planned events, which include films and a dinner, Shaw added.

Informed of the planned protest last night Moses said the issue of publicity in the official calendar--as opposed to the Yard Bulletin which is open to all groups--is "a pretty narrow question." Moses refused to comment further on the groups demands.

The students added that the administration's position on this issue represents an underlying University attitude that discourages minorities from asserting their identifies as members of a Third World community. "Third World events during freshman week ate important to us, but only as part of a larger problem," Maria G. Carmona '84, a member of the Chicano group RAZA, said yesterday.

But John B. Fox Jr. '59, dean of the College, said last night that the University has been "exceptionally active in supporting [Third World] programs," adding that the Harvard Foundation provides a significant source of funding for minority organizations on campus.

"Virtually every minority organization on campus has benefited from Foundation grants over the past two years," he added.

However, minority student leaders said the Foundation--an administrative body created to improve campus race relations--cannot adequately address their concerns on issues such as increased minority hiring and courts about diversity. While the Foundation on charges discussion and understanding of campus face relations, it can not make necessary structural changes in the University environment, Shaw said.

The students added that the foundation's advisory board should include student representatives in order to enact effectively the program it does undertake.

Rally organizers also said it is "hypocritical" of the University to sponsor extensive minority recruitment. Including a separate pre-freshman orientation for Third World students, but not endorse such events during freshman week.

Several minority student recruits said yesterday they could not continue to recruit Third World students if the University does not show more support for their concerns.

The Undergraduate Council last week unanimously endorsed the group's request to list Third World activities in the calendar for freshman week