Report Suggests Race Mediators

The long-awaited report of the Negotiations Project study of Harvard race relations, released to The Crimson yesterday by Dean of Students Archie C. Epps III, suggests the creation of a student-faculty service to mediate conflicts regarding race.

Epps, who said he is taking seriously the creation of the Harvard Mediation Service, also said that the suggestions contained in the report promise to substantially change the face of race relations on campus in the next year.

Epps also expressed his dissatisfaction yesterday in response to allegations that S. Allen Counter, director of the Harvard Foundation for Intercultural Affairs and Race Relations, was behind the harsh criticism Epps recently received from a student minority group.

In the interview, Epps said he would be displeased if the allegations linking Counter to the Asian American Association's (AAA) criticisms harmed his efforts at improving race relations.

AAA Co-President Haewon Hwang '95, one of the letter's authors, told The Crimson that Counter had discussed the letter with her and co-author and Co-President Joan R. Cheng '95 before they released it and even encouraged them to some extent.

"I think that Dr. Counter basically said if we had any problems or anything race related, he felt we should have our right to express ourselves," Hwang said.

In response to the allegations regarding Counter, Epps said, "Anyone working at race relations is expected to follow professional codes of conduct which includes direct discussion with one's colleagues. It should not include working through students to send a message."

The AAA letter called the "Handbook on Race Relations" compiled by Epps earlier this semester a "publicity show" and predicted the failure of the Negotiations Project report before the report was actually issued.

According to the report, the Mediation Service would include a program of "intensive training for a few talented and dedicated administrators, students and faculty, who could then provide mediation assistance to any members of the Harvard community who needed help to work through conflicts concerning race."

"We will recruit and select people to take part in a four-day long training session to find people qualified for the mediating," Epps said.

As race relations coordinator, Epps last November invited the firms associated with the Harvard Negotiations Project at the Law School to study College race relations.

The firms, Conflict Management Group and Conflict Management Inc., donated their time for the diagnostic study.

Much of their report, completed on May 14, analyzes problems in the way race relations issues are considered and handled on campus. And most of the suggestions are broad guidelines for students and faculty to deal with future race conflicts.

"A lot of it is sort of preparing-the-ground-stuff," Epps said.

Epps said he is excited about the prospects that the Mediation Service might offer for the next year. With more assistance in dealing with student concerns, he will then be free to deal with other problems in race relations.

"Now I can turn to the structure itself," he said. "We might turn to more consolidation under one umbrella--the simplification of the structure perhaps by retaining the factors that have worked so well.

The AAA letter called the "Handbook on Race Relations" compiled by Epps earlier this semester a "publicity show" and predicted the failure of the Negotiations Project report before the report was actually issued.

According to the report, the Mediation Service would include a program of "intensive training for a few talented and dedicated administrators, students and faculty, who could then provide mediation assistance to any members of the Harvard community who needed help to work through conflicts concerning race."

"We will recruit and select people to take part in a four-day long training session to find people qualified for the mediating," Epps said.

As race relations coordinator, Epps last November invited the firms associated with the Harvard Negotiations Project at the Law School to study College race relations.

The firms, Conflict Management Group and Conflict Management Inc., donated their time for the diagnostic study.

Much of their report, completed on May 14, analyzes problems in the way race relations issues are considered and handled on campus. And most of the suggestions are broad guidelines for students and faculty to deal with future race conflicts.

"A lot of it is sort of preparing-the-ground-stuff," Epps said.

Epps said he is excited about the prospects that the Mediation Service might offer for the next year. With more assistance in dealing with student concerns, he will then be free to deal with other problems in race relations.

"Now I can turn to the structure itself," he said. "We might turn to more consolidation under one umbrella--the simplification of the structure perhaps by retaining the factors that have worked so well.