'80s Divestment Group Donates Fund to Harvard

Bringing a symbolic end to a quarter century of student protests against Harvard's financial involvement in South Africa, trustees of the Harvard-Radcliffe Endowment for Divestiture turned their $25,000 fund over to the University last week.

The endowment dissolved upon transfer of the money, which will go to the Harvard College Fund to support undergraduate scholarships.

The endowment was started in 1983 at the height of the divestment movement, which dates back to the late 1960s. The money, collected from graduating seniors in the Class of 1983, was to be withheld from Harvard until the University divested or the United Nations removed its trade sanctions against South Africa.

The trade sanctions have been removed, but Harvard money never left South Africa--even when numerous U.S. corporations divested during the 1980s.

One of the endowment's trustees, Paul V. Holtzman '83, said that while he is happy to see apartheid ended, he regrets Harvard's inaction.

"Harvard could have been at the forefront of justice in South Africa," "Holtzman said. "But instead, it chose to keep its ties when many other organizations severed them."

The endowment continued fundraising for a few years after the 1983 Commencement but did not have the resources to make its efforts permanent, Holtzman said.

Eleven years ago, a group of seniors banded together to create the "alternative class gift" which drew contributions from approximately a third of the class of 1983, Holtzman said.

"The fund was a creative protest tool," Holtzman said. "We were expressing the view that we supported the University, but still objected to its involvement in South Africa. It clearly had an effect on the University."

The group's founding drew strong words from then-Harvard President Derek C. Bok, who issued a statement at the 1983 Commencement decrying the endowment's use of contributions.

"[This is] not a healthy way of resolving differences in the Harvard family," Bok said in the statement. He said he felt the organizers were "shortsighted" because their actions could inspire "many individuals or groups seeking to impose a wide variety of policies on the institution."

Harvard, in fact, waged a war of sorts against students involved in the divestment movement during the 1980s. The University used the Harvard police department to break up peaceful protests, and some have suggested thatHarvard knew about--and may have sanctioned--thewire-tapping of students involved in the movement.

After some protests in the late 1960s, thedivestment movement continued unabated for thenext decade.

Students in 1972 occupied Massachusetts Hall,calling for Harvard to cut its ties to Gulf Oil,which was heavily invested in South Africa.

It was not until 1978 that the movement drewnational attention. About 3,500 students--morethan half the undergraduate population--took tothe streets calling for an end to Harvardinvestment in the South African banks.

A few hundreds students stayed overnight infront of University Hall, keeping officials out oftheir offices the next morning.

With brief intervals of protests, thedivestment campaign quieted again until a seriesof meetings and rallies in the spring of 1983.

These protests culminated in a hunger strike byseven students--which later swelled to includemore than 30 and drew national media attention.

But with the lifting the apartheid in SouthAfrica, the last vestige of the student protestshas now gone.

As Michael J. Alter '83, the chair of theendowment's board of trustees, said in astatement: "We're happy that circumstances havechanged in South Africa so that we can do what wewanted to do all along: contribute to HarvardCollege.

After some protests in the late 1960s, thedivestment movement continued unabated for thenext decade.

Students in 1972 occupied Massachusetts Hall,calling for Harvard to cut its ties to Gulf Oil,which was heavily invested in South Africa.

It was not until 1978 that the movement drewnational attention. About 3,500 students--morethan half the undergraduate population--took tothe streets calling for an end to Harvardinvestment in the South African banks.

A few hundreds students stayed overnight infront of University Hall, keeping officials out oftheir offices the next morning.

With brief intervals of protests, thedivestment campaign quieted again until a seriesof meetings and rallies in the spring of 1983.

These protests culminated in a hunger strike byseven students--which later swelled to includemore than 30 and drew national media attention.

But with the lifting the apartheid in SouthAfrica, the last vestige of the student protestshas now gone.

As Michael J. Alter '83, the chair of theendowment's board of trustees, said in astatement: "We're happy that circumstances havechanged in South Africa so that we can do what wewanted to do all along: contribute to HarvardCollege.