Overseers Call for Open Board at Student Forum

As the Board of Overseers gathers for its first fall meeting, two of its newest members addressing a student-sponsored forum this weekend said the Univeristy's largest governing body must be open to more elements of the Harvard community.

First-term overseers Peter H. Wood '64, a Duke University professor, and Consuela M. Washington, counsel to the House Committee on Energy and Commerce, also said at the open forum that the Board should pay increased attention to student concerns.

They said that the forum, sponsored by the Harvard-Radcliffe Democrats and the Radcliffe Union of Students, marked a first step in better understanding student views which they said the Board had too long ignored.

Wood and Washington also said that while they ran for the Board on a pro-divestment slate of six candidates, they would attempt to address other areas of concern, including unionization and increased faculty attention to undergraduates.

"Harvard should take care of [divestment] so it can move on to other issues," Wood said.

A number of current overseers have questioned whether pro-divestment candidates, who have run for the Board for the last two years, will be able to successfully involve themselves in other aspects of the University besides its divestment policy. Last year, Overseers President Joan T. Bok '51 signed a letter to alumni that said the nature of the Board would be changed by the addition of "single-issue candidates." It was later revealed that President Bok, no relation to Joan Bok, had written the letter.

When asked what other issues would concern them as overseers, Washington responded that the current campaign to unionize Harvard's clerical and technical workers deserved attention from Harvard'ssecond-highest governing body.

"It's going to be important to make sure theUniversity maintains its neutrality," Washingtontold the approximately 50 students and faculty whoattended the forum.

Wood cited concern that adequate attention begiven to education-related issues. He alsocriticized the historic difficulty for juniorfaculty to get tenure at Harvard.

Washington responded at the forum to questionsfrom Harvard Law School Professor Duncan M.Kennedy '64 about the ongoing dispute overAssociate Law Professor Clare Dalton, who wasturned down for tenure this spring.

"I feel responsive [to the Dalton case] as awoman and I'm hopeful the issue will be resolved,"Washington said. "I believe she has not beentreated fairly."

Wood made light of the fact that only two ofsix newly elected overseers attended Saturday'sforum. Former MIT President Jerome B. Wiesner '37and Pulitzer Prize-winning author FrancesFitzGerald '62 were originally scheduled toattend, but later bowed out because of othercommitments.

Both Wiesner and FitzGerald ran as part of the12-person official University-nominated slate forthe six spots that opened on the 30 member Boardthis year. Two other University-nominatedcandidates were elected. They are Sen. Albert Gore'69 (D-Tenn.) and former Federal Reserve Boardmember Andrew F. Brimmer.

"It's only two out of six that showed up andits the two out of six that you've never heardof," Wood said