Petition Candidate To Run For Overseer

In a rare move, a University alumnus will run as an independent petition candidate in the annual Board of Overseers election this spring, Harvard Alumni Association (HAA) officials said yesterday.

Margaret B. Craig, a 1958 graduate of the School of Education, said the decided to run as a petition candidate at the urging of Harvard alumni in her home state of Arizona. "The idea was suggested to me by someone else almost a year ago, but it wasn't until I went to the 350th celebration that the idea really caught fire."

In her bid for the 30-member governing board, Craig joins 10 official University-nominated candidates, who include Iran-Contra Prosecutor Arthur L. Liman '54. A slate of five petition candidates, sponsored by Harvard-Radcliffe Alumni Against Apartheid (HRAAA), is also running for the Board this year.

While petition candidates have run for the Board for the past two years, all have been pro-divestment candidates. Traditionally, candidates to the Board not nominated by the University are rare, in part because of the difficulty of obtaining the alumni signatures needed to qualify a candidate for the ballot.

This year, 294 signatures were necessary to appear on the ballot. While ballots are mailed to the University's more than 200,000 living alumni, less than 25 percent typically are returned.

Craig received more than twice the number of required signatures. Craig said she was encouraged by the geographic diversity of the response torequests for signatures. More than 80 of theresponses were accompanied by letters of supportfor the candidacy, she said.

Although petition candidates have run onpolitically-oriented platforms, Craig stressedthat her candidacy is not motivated by a singleissue. "I'm not running with any particular pointof view," said Craig. "I am running as anindividual [who wants] to devote time and energy"to issues that are of concern to the University.

On the issue of divestment from South Africa,Craig said she stands firmly behind theAdministration. "The issue of whether [Harvard]should divest should be decided on a case-by-casebasis," Craig said.

But Dorothee E. Benz '86-87, executive directorof the HRAAA which advocates total divestment,said she does not believe Craig's candidacy willeffect the five HRAAA candidates. "Her campaignprobably won't mean anything. I am confident inour candidates in both a moral and politicalsense," said Benz.

Other issues that Craig feels must be addressedby the Overseers include the relationship betweenthe University and the Cambridge community and therole of the University in public serviceactivities. Craig also said she hopes theUniversity will encourage students to chooseeducation as a career.

"I have a lot to observe and read andlearn...but I think it is time for a candidate notchosen by the Alumni Association," Craig said.

Harvard will mail ballots for the election inApril, and the election results will be announcedat Commencement on June 9