Jewett on the Issues: He Sticks Close to the University Line

L. Fred Jewett '57, the new dean of the College, doesn't appear likely to stray from the Harvard line when he deals with the big issues he will face in his new job.

In an interview in his University Hall office, Jewett said his first concern was to "get a sense of what's on students' agenda." Among his comments on other topics:

*The CRR: Jewett said he has some reservations about the long-dormant disciplinary body, but he said he does not accept many students' argument that it is an illegitimate body. Students have perennially boycotted the committee since its inception in 1969, charging that it is used to punish political dissent without appeal to a higher body.

It was revived last May but is not expected to decide on discipline for 18 student protesters until late this month. Until the committee reaches a decision, the diplomas of three members of the Class of 1985 cannot be granted (see story, page A-11).

Jewett said his concerns stem from the delay in reaching a verdict. "I think it's important that disciplinary issues be handled fairly and effectively, but within a reasonable time period. It's not yet clear whether the CRR does that." He said he has not yet decided whether he thinks the CRR should be abolished, a move many students have clamored for ever since it was founded.

*Divestment: Jewett sticks to Harvard's policy of intensive dialogue with South Africa-linked firms. He said he "doesn't particularly see divestment as a useful tool in influencing" the apartheid state. He said he would prefer to see student pressure on Washington and would support a public policy pressuring the regime to reform its apartheid laws. But, he said, the costs of Harvard's divesting would be great, both financially and in the precedent it would set.

Jewett said he does not believe a university should use its endowment to influence policy. In addition, he said he thinks if Harvard withdrew its South Africa-related investments, they could be snatched up by other stockholders who would not share Harvard's commitment to improving South African Blacks' opportunities.

About the anticipated upsurge in anti-apartheid demonstrations on campus Jewett said: "I assume and feel it's appropriate for students to continue their interest in South Africa and to be involved in activities here and in the national area. I hope they will do so without interfering with University business."

*Honor Code: A. Michael Spence, dean of the Faculty of Arts and Sciences, last spring asked for a study of colleges across the country to weigh the merits of an honor code and to determine whether Harvard might benefit from such a system (see story, page A-11).

Spence and other administrators have said they have no immediate plans to change Harvard's system, and Jewett said he has some reservations about whether such a change would be useful at his alma mater. His concerns lie in students' obligation to turn in their peers for cheating--"self-policing" as Jewett terms it. He said he will be interested to hear from students on this issue, "since it will only work if students honor it," and stressed that an honor code is unlikely to be implemented unless students give it "overwhelming support."

*CUE Guide: Student editors of the CUE course evaluation book slipped a note into the front of this year's edition charging the book had been censored and that its "objectivity and integrity" had been undermined (see story, page A-1). An administrator, they said, had told them the book's publication would be halted and the staff would lose their jobs if they did not amend 17 write ups, some of which described certain professors as "arrogant" and "condescending."

Jewett said he would like to see ongoing participation by administrators from the early stages of production, and he said he would hope they could soon reach an agreement on the ground rules governing editorial control of the guide. Apparently no such rules exist.

He said, however, that terms such as "arrogant" are not necessarily useful in describing faculty members. "I would wonder if it could be framed a little less negatively," Jewett said, adding that unnecessarily critical write-ups could push professors away from teaching undergraduate courses.

*Housing: Although he will chair the Committee on House Life, Jewett will not likely have his hands full with housing issues this fall. His predecessor, John B. Fox Jr. '59, made a host of reforms in residential policy last spring, including spreading the burden of over-crowding more evenly throughout the 12 houses, making it easier for transfer students to live on campus, and reviewing the house lottery system.

Jewett will have to pick up where Fox left off by seeing the $27 million, delay-plagued Quad renovations through to completion. But the new dean said he hopes housing won't be a predominant issue this fall.

Jewett said he is "trying to come into this job without a lot of predispositions to the issues." He said he will attempt to develop an approach from what he learns and to establish consensus opinions on issues that affect large numbers of people.

"I want to do as much consultation as possible on issues, and I may be slower to reach final conclusions," he said. "Right now I'm trying to get a sense of what students are feeling."