President Nixes Memorial For Confederate Soldiers

President Neil L. Rudenstine opposes a proposal for a commemoration of all Harvard students, Confederate and Union, who were killed in the Civil War.

The president said in an interview Wednesday that Harvard has never had a consistent policy on memorializing alums who die in American wars.

Without such a consistent policy, Rudenstine said he wouldn't feel justified erecting a memorial that some members of the community have said would be very hurtful.

"If it were literally the case that the University has always honored all alumni who died in wars, then I think you can say that's the policy, let's do it," Rudenstine said. "It's not the case."

"Lacking that consistency and lacking a compelling rationale...I share the dilemma and I share the resolution that it's better to do nothing," Rudenstine continued.

Rudenstine said he would be "sympathetic" to a policy that would honor all Harvard graduates who died in American wars--including soldiers who fought for the Confederacy.

But the president pointed out that Harvard has no such policy. He noted that Harvard did not include in a Memorial Church memorial several dozen Harvard graduates who fought for the North in the Civil War. He also said that the University has, in fact, honored several graduates who fought against the United States.

Practically, then, Rudenstine said he would support a memorial honoring graduates who fought for the Confederacy only at a point in history where it would be fairly uncontroversial to do so.

"I think we just have to be candid and say that given the lack of resolution that I felt was on the table, I don't expect it to be [erected] in the short term," Rudenstine said.

The Board of Overseers, Harvard's lesser governing board, had tabled the proposal for the Civil War memorial at its meeting last month.

The Harvard Alumni Association (HAA) is exploring the proposed memorial in greater depth, Executive Director John P. Reardon Jr. '60 said yesterday.

Reardon said that the University will not go forward with the memorial "as long as an important segment of the community uncomfortable with the idea."

The proposal has drawn fire from several groups of black students across the University.

Annual Report: Coming Soon

Rudenstine said that he will release his annual report on the University, which he's been working on for 10 months, within the next few weeks.

"My report is more or less finished. It's literally being copy-edited and fact checked," Rudenstine said.

Rudenstine declined to comment on the content of the report, which is the second annual report he has produced in his five year tenure

The Harvard Alumni Association (HAA) is exploring the proposed memorial in greater depth, Executive Director John P. Reardon Jr. '60 said yesterday.

Reardon said that the University will not go forward with the memorial "as long as an important segment of the community uncomfortable with the idea."

The proposal has drawn fire from several groups of black students across the University.

Annual Report: Coming Soon

Rudenstine said that he will release his annual report on the University, which he's been working on for 10 months, within the next few weeks.

"My report is more or less finished. It's literally being copy-edited and fact checked," Rudenstine said.

Rudenstine declined to comment on the content of the report, which is the second annual report he has produced in his five year tenure