Summers Fields Questions In Class

Even his most ruthless critics in the Faculty’s ranks would have a tough time coming up with questions as unrelenting as the ones University President Lawrence H. Summers faced yesterday from the students in Religion 1529, “Personal Choice and Global Transformation.”

Although he served as treasury secretary under former President Bill Clinton, Summers is by many accounts the most conservative of the 23 speakers scheduled to appear before the popular class’ 612 students. Yesterday, he fielded tough queries on a range of topics, including his leadership style, legacy at Harvard and student civil disobedience.

Even Lecturer on the Study of Religion Brian C.W. Palmer ’86—usually full of praise for his guest lecturers—challenged Summers’ style at the University’s helm. He quoted from a profile of Summers, published last August in the New York Times Magazine, which said that many people don’t like Summers and his “aggressive and challenging” leadership style.

Summers, who appeared slightly taken aback by Palmer’s remarks, said, “This is quite unlike any other experience I’ve had since I came to the University.”

“I realize that this will be my last such experience,” Palmer shot back to audience applause, alluding to his impending departure at the end of this semester when his lectureship will expire.

Palmer asked Summers to give two examples of his leadership, one of his aggressive style and one “Gandhian” instance in which he led by example.

In response, Summers cited his aggressive leadership in urging the U.S. government to bail out Mexico with a $25 billion loan in 1995. He then characterized his role in pushing for Harvard’s new financial aid initiative as leading by example. The new policy eliminates the parental tuition contributions for families making under $40,000 annually and lowers the parental contribution for households that earn between $40,000 and $60,000 annually.

Summers next fielded a question from Ellen C. Quigley ’07, who was enrolled in his fall term freshman seminar, about his views on Palmer’s class. She said the course’s focus on “compassion over cash” and “social emphasis over hard data” probably did not suit Summers.

Summers conceded that he did disagree with some of the course material, although he insisted that there is a place for such courses at Harvard.

“A certain number of views expressed in the syllabus of this course I think are silly...are not supported by hard data,” Summers said. But he added that “it’s the glory of a university that my views are not the views that set the curriculum of the University.”

Grace C. Wilentz ’07 asked Summers whether Harvard should be more active in social causes. She also asked him whether he thought the University should be more democratic.

Summers insisted that Harvard must stay out of politics. He cited A. Lawrence Lowell, class of 1887, and James Bryant Conant ’14 as examples of former University presidents whose past involvement in politics had negative consequences.

Lowell famously galvanized the Faculty to oppose the appointment of Louis D. Brandeis to the Supreme Court and Conant tried to rid Harvard of suspected Communists during the 1950s.

“We will make a grave mistake if we become a political institution,” Summers said. “There would be nothing I could do that would be as damaging to this institution.”

When Summers finished, Palmer said he had not fully answered Wilentz’s question, asking to him address the second part—whether the University should be more democratic.

Summers responded that because everyone at the University makes a choice whether or not to come, Harvard must be responsive to students and faculty to compete with its peers.

“That’s a much more important kind of responsiveness than who’s on what committee,” he said.

Michael J. Hines ’03-’04 asked Summers whether he supported the civil disobedience of the 2001 living wage campaign, when members of the Progressive Student Labor Movement staged a sit-in at Mass. Hall.

Though Summers hailed civil disobedience for the many important objectives it has achieved, he noted that its practitioners must be willing to pay the price of protest.

“If you recall Gandhi or you read Martin Luther King or you read any thoughtful...proponent of civil disobedience, they will tell you that the punishment is central to the concept of civil disobedience,” Summers said. “We should all be able to agree that accepting consequences is part of civil disobedience.”

Adebola S. Owolewa ’05 then pressed him about the role of legacy in the College’s admissions.

Before answering Owolewa’s question, Summers joked, “It’s really great to be here.”

Summers said that some legacy preference is not unreasonable, pointing out that it’s a way for the University to maintain a greater community and garner alumni support—financially and otherwise—with an admissions process that is still fair.

CLASS DISMISSED

Palmer said he was glad Summers decided to come, noting that after three invitations, this was Summers’ first appearance in one of his classes.

Yesterday’s class was “very close to my idea of education as open deliberation about pressing social and individual choices,” Palmer said after class.

Students said they enjoyed the exchanges, noting that the atmosphere was much more adversarial than it had been for other speakers.

Nathan C. Chambers ’07 said he thought the more heated back-and-forth discussion was due to Summers’ political leanings.

“He’s probably the most right-wing speaker we get,” said Chambers. “He’s really the only one. Almost all of our speakers have been really leftist.”

Raquel O. Alvarenga ’07 said Palmer’s question to Summers was much tougher than the ones he has asked other speakers.

“The whole part about saying he’s not a man who’s very well-liked—that was completely unnecessary,” Alvarenga said. “I think Palmer did that on purpose.”

And Chambers noted that the audience questions were tougher as well. He added that Palmer may have played a role in selecting tougher than usual questions—students e-mail in questions in advance and the teaching staff selects the questions.

But Palmer insisted other guests have had to answer equally challenging probes.

“All of our guests have received questions that were difficult for them, and it may actually be more challenging for a dining hall worker or a recent Harvard graduate...than for an accomplished global leader like President Summers,” Palmer said, referring to previous guest lecturers. “For a man like Larry Summers who spends much of his work time addressing various constituencies, today’s interview was all in a day’s work.”

Alvarenga said she was impressed by Summers’ ability to handle tough questions.

“I think Summers was faced with a lot of difficult questions and was able to maintain his composure really well and answer them really well,” Alvarenga said.

Palmer also said he hoped the class would take yesterday’s exchange as a lesson to speak directly with people in power.

“I think that it’s a responsibility to speak openly and ask challenging questions to those who sit at the very top of our highly hierarchical society,” Palmer said.

In one direct question, a student asked Summers about the future of the popular class, which is uncertain with Palmer’s departure. Palmer said Summers could probably find a way to ensure the course was continued if he wanted to and that he would be “delighted” to continue at Harvard in his current capacity, but he has not been asked to stay.

“Failing that, if the President needs an assistant to help with vacuuming Massachusetts Hall, my services may be available,” Palmer joked.

—Staff writer Stephen M. Marks can be reached at marks@fas.harvard.edu.