Nuclear Arms

the Editors of The Crimson:

The Chronicle of Higher Education (2/16/83) recently printed an editorial by William J. Rewak, S.J., the president of the University of Santa Clara, speaking on the issue of nuclear arms and the role of the research university. "We should." argues Father Rewak, "engage in a university-wide exploration of the nature and morality of nuclear war." Later, Father Rewak says, "A university, which is dedicated to the preservation and enhancement of culture, cannot at the same time be directly engaged in research on weapons of destruction, weapons whose practical results is the obliteration of culture. To carry on both activities at once in schizophrenic."

Surely this would apply as well to the investment a university makes in firms engaged in nuclear weapon production. A university cannot take a public stand on every political issue that emerges, but surely a great learning center like Harvard University should take the lead in diverting itself from those companies producing nuclear weapons and refuse to conduct research on those weapons systems.

"We must remember," Father Rewak concludes, "that nuclear war is a new dimension for mankind, and the old arguments don't fit... we can no longer participate in an activity that is so inimical to everything a university attempts to achieve."

The Committee on Shareholder Responsibility (ACSR) would do well to consider Father Rewak's message and recommend that Harvard no longer participate in this insanity. Paul Ranalow   Graduate School of Education