Students Pressure for Corporation Response

The Harvard Corporation has yet to respond to a request by 19 student and alumni organizations as well as more than 500 undergraduates that the University's chief governing body open up its meeting this month.

While University officials ponder their response to the two-week-old request, the undergraduates involved in the effort said they will step up pressure on the governing body to open one of its November meetings.

"Some sort of protest is going to be in order if the Corporation continues its non-response," said Kimberly B. Ladin '87-'88, a member of the Southern Africa Solidarity Committee and an organizer of the effort to open up the meeting.

Dorothy E. Benz '87, another organizer, said that a deadline for Corporation response is likely to be set. "I would find it highly disrespectful if they didn't give us an answer after their Tuesday meeting," Benz said, adding that the deadline probably will be Wednesday.

Two weeks ago, divestment activists sent the first letter to the Corporation requesting that the governing body open up its meeting to students and discuss issues of concern such as Harvard's South Africa-linked investments.

Two days later, on October 26, the Undergraduate Council sent a letter of its own to the Corporation. "The issue of divestment is an important one and requires real communication between members of the Harvard community and its administrators," the council letter read.

Since that time several other organizations have requested an open meeting where a variety of issues would be discussed. In addition, about 500 undergraduates have signed or written letters all of which will be delivered to the Corporation, which will hold one of its bi-weekly meetings early next week, Benz said. Tabling will continue in the house dining halls during the weekend, Benz said, adding that she expects close to a 1000 students to sign or write letters by Monday.

President Derek C. Bok could not be reached for comment yesterday and his administrative assistant, Elizabeth Keul, said that the president has yetto send a response to the students. When asked ifBok would formally respond, Keul said, "I just assoon not comment."

Last week Corporation member Andrew Heiskell,former chairman of Time Inc., said that he doubtedthe self-perpetuating governing body would openits doors to the students. "If the Corporationwere to meet with anybody who wanted to meet withthem, it would no longer function," Heiskell said.

The Corporation, which including the president,is composed of seven individuals, technically ownsHarvard and decides University policy on a varietyof issues ranging from divestment to honorarydegree recipients.

The groups that have either written or endorsedletters requesting an open meeting with theCorporation, include: the Undergraduate Council,the Southern Africa Solidarity Committee, theRadcliffe Union of Students, the Currier HouseCommittee, the Adams House Committee, the QuincyHouse Committee, the Harvard-Radcliffe DemocraticClub, the Black Students Association, theAssociation of Black Radcliffe Women, Educationfor Action, the Endowment for Divestiture, theCommittee on Central America, the Phillips BrooksHouse Committee for Economic Change, theDemocratic Socialists of America, the Gay LesbianStudents Association, the Law SchoolAnti-Apartheid Committee, the Harvard-RadcliffeAlumni/ae Against Apartheid, the 350th DivestmentCoalition and a group of 36 Divinity Schoolstudents