Ad Board

To the Editors of The Crimson:

Your editorial of May 5th criticizes both the structure and procedures of the Administrative Board and its actions in two specific disciplinary cases. Constructive and informed criticism is always welcome in a community like Harvard and it often has beneficial effects. No institution is perfect, including the Administrative Board, and we are always willing to consider reasoned arguments for change and improvement in our institutions and procedures.

Unfortunately your editorial loses much of its value by combining an overzealous use of emotional epithet with several inaccuracies of fact. In addition you prejudge a decision of the Board on a specific set of cases before the final decisions have been made and clearly without having many of the facts that are being considered by the Board. This attempt to decide a case in the pages of a newspaper does little to promote the cause of the reasoned, impartial justice that you claim to espouse.

In the interest of accuracy I would offer the following corrections to your editorial:

1) A Board decision to require a student to withdraw for disciplinary reasons is always preliminary and is never made final until after the student has had a chance to appear before the entire Board and defend himself or herself before the entire Board. The student may be accompanied by an advisor at that time.

2) Students always know what the charge or complaint is, usually in writing, well in advance of any consideration of a case.

3) The Allston Burr Senior Tutors in the Houses and the Senior Advisors to Freshmen do not act as prosecutors of students. Rather, they seek to establish a balanced account of an incident and to present the student's point of view to the Board.

4) The Administrative Board does have responsibilities to a higher authority--in fact, to three separate higher authorities: the Dean of the Faculty, the Faculty Council, and the entire Faculty, and it can be required to explain and justify its actions at any time to any of these authorities.

5) Many teaching members of the Faculty, including a number of full professors, are active members of the Board and participate in all of its decisions. Indeed, most Senior Tutors are active as instructors as well as administrators.

I would be happy to clarify the Board's procedures for any student at any time, and to discuss with individuals or groups of students reasoned proposals for improvements in those procedures. L. Fred Jewett   Dean of Harvard College