RUS Will File Complaint Charging Discrimination

The Radcliffe Union of Students (RUS) will file complaints against the University's affirmative action policy with the federal Departments of Education and Labor within the next few months.

RUS President Alison Dundes '81 and two other RUS members met with Frank Bucci, deputy regional director of the Office of Civil Rights and two other federal officials yesterday to discuss options for an investigation into Harvard's tenure process and financial aid opportunities for women.

The preliminary complaint filed by RUS last spring charges the University with a "lack of serious commitment on the part of departments toward hiring women."

Harvard "has a long and continuing practice of denying promotion and tenure to qualified women at Harvard," Valerie A. Humes '80-3, an RUS member, said yesterday.

The recent decision by the Sociology Department not to recommend Theda R. Skocpol, associate professor of Sociology, for tenure prompted RUS's actions.

Bucci said yesterday RUS could file the complaint under the Department of Education's Title IX statute which prohibits a pattern or practice of discrimination that has an adverse impact on students.

Pause

Dundes said the complaint will fit under this clause, but added RUS cannot file their complaint for at least two weeks until some definitions of wording within the law are clarified.

Edward L. Keenan, associate dean of Faculty, said yesterday that Harvard's tenure process is not discriminatory. "Men are doing the voting (on tenure decisions). It's not clear that because they're men they're voting one way or the other," he said.

"The Department of Education's willingness to investigate our case suggests to us that Harvard is deficient with respect to affirmative action," Dundes said.

Bucci said RUS should contact the Office of Federal Contracts Compliance Division under the Department of Labor for a quicker decision.

Gottcha

RUS will also meet Thursday with Phyllis Keller, University's equal employment opportunity officer, to discuss the tenuring process.

The Office of Civil Rights will also be asked to investigate the University's financial aid policy, specifically the federal work program, Dundes said.

President Horner was unavailable for comment last night.