Shanties Garner Some Approval

Despite divestment activists' contentions that the shantytown will spark a spring of activism, students viewing the structures yesterday expressed reserved approval of the five shanties and 16 ft. tower.

"They're kind of pathetic," said J. Travis Millman '89. "The whole university life is going on right around them. If the students would get more into it, the University would be forced to do more about it."

"There's not too much enthusiasm, they're formed without much substance. It's the old chants that don't seem to arouse any enthusiasm," Millman said.

Saying that it was a good thing, Roberta Feldman '89 said she thought the protesters "are taking it too seriously. They really need a sense of humor."

"As long as it stays non-violent and doesn't offend anybody, it's a positive form of protest," said Charlie Godinez '86, who was snapping pictures of the shantytown.

But President of the Republican Club Kris W. Kobach '88 said that as long as the word "divest" remained on the protesters' signs, he would not see the action as positive.

"Since the Yard belongs to all students in common, that symbol [of divestment] in the Yard should represent the views of all students," Kobach said. "Since it is common property of all students, it should represent the views of all students. I object to using the Yard as a tool for carrying a message that all students may not agree with," he said.

Although the many opponents of divestment at Harvard have made no specific plans to oppose the movement, Kobach said that he would "definitely not rule out the possibility" that they might.

And one senior said that he did not think it was appropriate that the shanties be allowed to remain up during Commencement. "Commencement should focus on the positive aspects of what everybody's learned," he said.

Alan J. Kuperman '85-'86, who will also graduate in June, disagreed. "It would be great so the sixties people [the 25th Reunion of the Class of 1961 is this year] would definitely come back and see we still have a protest here."

While SASC members have been encouraging students and professors to hold classes outdoors in the shantytown area, not all students found the idea agreeable.

"The principle of putting all of these students in a situation where you are either supporting or not supporting it was wrong from the beginning," said David Rettig '89 of his Historical Studies A-12 section leader's decision to hold class out-side.

Rettig, who opted not to attend the section outdoors, said, "It has created a little bit of differentation within the section."

Another member of that section, Lawerence F. Levin '89 said that while his section leader had put little pressure on the students to go out-side, if he hadn't, "it would have been hypocritical because the whole point of the shantytown is for free speech."

SASC member Jaron R. Bourke '88 refused to comment on whether the construction of the shantytown was sparked by the arrests of 75 protesters at Yale. But other students said they thought the Harvard shantytown followed directly on the heels of those at Dartmouth and Yale.

"We have to keep up with the Joneses," said Feldman. "It would have been lousy if Harvard, which has all this money invested, didn't have some kind of protest."

"It's about time," said Millman. "We were following them [the other schools] and dragging our feet."

Around the Yard last night, posters bearing the words, "Shanties, Boring, Boring, Boring," and "Protest Yes, Shanties No" had appeared, sponsored by a group called SMAC.