Arab Student Group Calls Grant Unfair

The former and current presidents of the Society of Arab Students (SAS) publicly complained this week of unfair allocation of grant money by the Harvard Foundation Student Advisory Committee (SAC) and stonewalling by University officials investigating the matter.

Dean of Students Archie C. Epps III said yesterday he and a faculty committee will review the matter in a special meeting tomorrow.

In a letter to the editor in yesterday's edition of The Crimson, Haneen M. Rabie '95, the new SAS president, and Laila F. Sahyoun '94, last year's president, say they received only a $60 grant last fall for SAS activities, compared to $700 last year.

The letter alleges that Kenneth A. Katz '93, the SAC member selected to present the SAS grant application to the committee, may have had a "conflict of interest" and that the small size of the grant "may have been a case of bias."

In an interview yesterday, Rabie said that although she had never spoken with Katz, she had heard he was "right-wing on Israeli politics" and may have "negative attitudes toward Palestinians and other Arabs."

Sahyoun said yesterday that members of her organization found that some remarks in opinion articles by Katz in The Crimson "were very offensive to Arabs." Katz is an editor of The Crimson.

Katz refused to comment until alter tomorrow's meeting.

The letter also says SAC Co-Chair Ouzama N. Nicholson '94 told the SAS students their grant had been so small because the application was not specific enough. The letter alleges that although Sahyoun gave Katz specific speakers and movies the SAC hoped to sponsor, he failed to present them at the SAC meeting.

Rabie said yesterday she did not know whether Katz's alleged omissions were intentional, but said that "someone else may have been a wiser choice" to present the SAS request since it was "very possible that he had a conflict of interest."

In a letter to the editor appearing today, Katz called the charges "unsubstantiated and false."

In another letter of response which appears today, Epps expresses "regret" about the students' decision to go public with the dispute. His letter said he was unable to respond in full because College officials cannot "discuss publicly the affairs of any student."

Epps said in an interview that tomorrow's meeting will include the faculty committee--consisting of Epps, Cabot Professor of Natural Sciences John E. Dowling and Khan Associate Professor of the History of Science Anne Harrington--and representatives of SAS and the SAC.

Nicholson and fellow Co-Chair Aida E. Bekele '94, could not be reached for comment last night.

Besides its allegations of bias, the SAS letter also complained of the slow pace of the University's response and questioned the process's fairness.

"The frustrating three-month-long runaround that Dean Epps and other administrators have put the Society of Arab Students through has saddened and angered us, and has raised difficult questions about fairness and equal justice on this campus," the letter says.

The letter describes a flurry of correspondences sent to and from various Harvard administrators, including Epps, Harvard Foundation Director S. Allen Counter, Dean of the College L. Fred Jewett '57 and Dean of the Faculty Jeremy R. Knowles.

Sahyoun said she sent her initial complaint to Counter in the third week of November with a follow-up letter in December, Copies of each were forwarded to Epps.

She also said Epps postponed an appointment to meet with the two SAS leaders until exam period, and has twice postponed the hearing on the issue.

Epps accepted full responsibility for the delay in scheduling, saying it was a matter of pragmatism, not of discrimination. Epps said he didn't receive the formal letter requesting a review until December.

Sahyoun said Counter, who oversees all Foundation activities, has been a "most supportive person" throughout the process, and that the director has sent Epps three letters of his own.

Epps said he anticipated a resolution of the issue in the very near future, before the SAC begins the spring grants process on February 23.

Rabie and Sahyoun both said they hope the solution will ensure the prevention of similar conflicts in the future. Rabie added she believes, "Katz should be disciplined in some way" for failing to present all the facts to the SAC

In another letter of response which appears today, Epps expresses "regret" about the students' decision to go public with the dispute. His letter said he was unable to respond in full because College officials cannot "discuss publicly the affairs of any student."

Epps said in an interview that tomorrow's meeting will include the faculty committee--consisting of Epps, Cabot Professor of Natural Sciences John E. Dowling and Khan Associate Professor of the History of Science Anne Harrington--and representatives of SAS and the SAC.

Nicholson and fellow Co-Chair Aida E. Bekele '94, could not be reached for comment last night.

Besides its allegations of bias, the SAS letter also complained of the slow pace of the University's response and questioned the process's fairness.

"The frustrating three-month-long runaround that Dean Epps and other administrators have put the Society of Arab Students through has saddened and angered us, and has raised difficult questions about fairness and equal justice on this campus," the letter says.

The letter describes a flurry of correspondences sent to and from various Harvard administrators, including Epps, Harvard Foundation Director S. Allen Counter, Dean of the College L. Fred Jewett '57 and Dean of the Faculty Jeremy R. Knowles.

Sahyoun said she sent her initial complaint to Counter in the third week of November with a follow-up letter in December, Copies of each were forwarded to Epps.

She also said Epps postponed an appointment to meet with the two SAS leaders until exam period, and has twice postponed the hearing on the issue.

Epps accepted full responsibility for the delay in scheduling, saying it was a matter of pragmatism, not of discrimination. Epps said he didn't receive the formal letter requesting a review until December.

Sahyoun said Counter, who oversees all Foundation activities, has been a "most supportive person" throughout the process, and that the director has sent Epps three letters of his own.

Epps said he anticipated a resolution of the issue in the very near future, before the SAC begins the spring grants process on February 23.

Rabie and Sahyoun both said they hope the solution will ensure the prevention of similar conflicts in the future. Rabie added she believes, "Katz should be disciplined in some way" for failing to present all the facts to the SAC