Epps Reorganizes Race Bureacracy

Dean of Students Archie C. Epps III has reshuffled the College race relations policymaking committees for the third time in two years, abolishing one office and creating another.

Epps has taken on the duties of the Office of Race Relations, which sponsored the College's race relations problem solving programs. He has created the Harvard Mediation Service, a committee of students, faculty and tutors trained to intervene in racial disputes, to modify campus discourse on race and to work to prevent racial tension.

The new race relations hierarchy will consolidate more authority in Epps, who was appointed coordinator of race relations last summer, and may eliminate some of the bureaucracy of overlapping committees. It is the culmination of Epps' review last year of the College's race relations policy.

A four-person council will advise Epps, including Assistant Dean of Students Sarah Flatley, the Assistant Director of the Office of Career Services Andrea Diaz, Bureau of Study Counsellor Niti Seth and Professor of Education Emeritus Kyo Morimoto.

The Mediation Service, to be implemented inJanuary, was recommended in a report last springon the state of race relations at Harvard by theNegotiations Project, a consortium of conflictresolution experts sponsored by the Law School.

"The principal findings show that we do notknow at this college how to discuss race," Eppssaid. "We tend to debate issues rather thanexchange views."

Epps said the service will consist of 40students, selected from applications, working withfaculty and tutors in a two-day program.

"Any student can apply to join," Epps said."I'd love to have the house committee chairs andthe president of student government."

Fifteen of these students will receiveadditional training and become certified tomediate racial disputes and seek out campusorganizations which wish to have their memberstrained.

Consultants from two professional conflictresolution groups, Conflict Management Group andConflict Management Inc., will be available toprovide additional advice to those who have beentrained.

"I'm not in charge of [the training program],"Epps said. "I hope to take the course."

Two committees that the College instituted lastyear to handle race relations, the OperationsCommittee and the Professor of Afro-AmericanStudies K. Anthony Appiah's committee, have beenconsolidated.

Many of the members of the former committees,including Appiah, are now part of the Faculty RaceRelations Advisory Committee (FRRAC) to theHarvard Foundation for Intercultural Affairs andRace Relations. Six students, picked by theFoundation's Student Advisory Committee, will alsosit on the FRRAC.

Foundation Director S. Allen Counter could notbe reached for comment.

Cabot Professor of the Natural Sciences John E.Dowling '57, a continuing member of the Appiahcommittee, said the FRRAC has not yet met. He saidhe is in favor of the new streamlining ofcommittees. "Consolidation made sense," he said."There was overlap in terms of what [the formercommittees] were doing."

FRRAC was established to oversee theFoundation. Epps said the committee allows facultyto interact with students and become involved inrace-related issues on campus.

Epps said the objectives of the Foundation willcontinue as before: to serve as a forum for ethnicissues, to fund student projects, and sponsorcultural events.

"We're trying to get [the Foundation] to workwith the W.E.B. DuBois Institute to bring thestudents and faculty together," Epps said.

Epps said no race-related incidents have beenreported yet this year.

Students at Harvard Against Racism andEthnocentrism (SHARE), which was sponsored by theOffice of Race Relations, will continue workingthis year, but Actively Working Against Racism andEthnocentrism (AWARE) has been abolished.

Former Assistant Dean for Race Relations andMinority Affairs Hilda Hernandez-Gravelle, thefirst and only director of the Office of RaceRelations, refused to comment yesterday on anyrace-related issues

The Mediation Service, to be implemented inJanuary, was recommended in a report last springon the state of race relations at Harvard by theNegotiations Project, a consortium of conflictresolution experts sponsored by the Law School.

"The principal findings show that we do notknow at this college how to discuss race," Eppssaid. "We tend to debate issues rather thanexchange views."

Epps said the service will consist of 40students, selected from applications, working withfaculty and tutors in a two-day program.

"Any student can apply to join," Epps said."I'd love to have the house committee chairs andthe president of student government."

Fifteen of these students will receiveadditional training and become certified tomediate racial disputes and seek out campusorganizations which wish to have their memberstrained.

Consultants from two professional conflictresolution groups, Conflict Management Group andConflict Management Inc., will be available toprovide additional advice to those who have beentrained.

"I'm not in charge of [the training program],"Epps said. "I hope to take the course."

Two committees that the College instituted lastyear to handle race relations, the OperationsCommittee and the Professor of Afro-AmericanStudies K. Anthony Appiah's committee, have beenconsolidated.

Many of the members of the former committees,including Appiah, are now part of the Faculty RaceRelations Advisory Committee (FRRAC) to theHarvard Foundation for Intercultural Affairs andRace Relations. Six students, picked by theFoundation's Student Advisory Committee, will alsosit on the FRRAC.

Foundation Director S. Allen Counter could notbe reached for comment.

Cabot Professor of the Natural Sciences John E.Dowling '57, a continuing member of the Appiahcommittee, said the FRRAC has not yet met. He saidhe is in favor of the new streamlining ofcommittees. "Consolidation made sense," he said."There was overlap in terms of what [the formercommittees] were doing."

FRRAC was established to oversee theFoundation. Epps said the committee allows facultyto interact with students and become involved inrace-related issues on campus.

Epps said the objectives of the Foundation willcontinue as before: to serve as a forum for ethnicissues, to fund student projects, and sponsorcultural events.

"We're trying to get [the Foundation] to workwith the W.E.B. DuBois Institute to bring thestudents and faculty together," Epps said.

Epps said no race-related incidents have beenreported yet this year.

Students at Harvard Against Racism andEthnocentrism (SHARE), which was sponsored by theOffice of Race Relations, will continue workingthis year, but Actively Working Against Racism andEthnocentrism (AWARE) has been abolished.

Former Assistant Dean for Race Relations andMinority Affairs Hilda Hernandez-Gravelle, thefirst and only director of the Office of RaceRelations, refused to comment yesterday on anyrace-related issues