Mediate With Caution

As part of his overhaul of the race relations bureaucracy, Dean Epps is recruiting students, along with faculty, to serve as mediators in racially sensitive cases. Epps is encouraging leaders of student ethnic organizations and leaders of House Committees to apply.

We applaud Epps' attempts to involve students in important University matters. The Crimson has often called for increased student involvement in University matters. Yet initially we believe student involvement should be limited in two ways so as to avoid several pitfalls.

First, there is the problem of conflicts of interest that could arise if leaders of ethnic organizations were to mediate disputes, even those in which they are not directly involved. It is possible that the perception of bias by a student mediator could inflame an already tense situation.

For this reason, we oppose the selection of student ethnic leaders as mediators. Instead, we believe the Harvard Foundation should expand and upgrade its capabilities for calling student leaders together to handle campus tensions, creating in effect a committee of student leaders.

Second, there is the danger of student mediators taking on issues that they are unprepared to deal with. Alvin Bragg of the Black Students Association, while generally supportive of the program, worries that in some cases students could "get in over their heads."

With the limited training student mediators recieve, this is a real danger. Student mediators should thus be restricted, at least initially, to an advisory role.

The Harvard Mediation Service has potential for easing campus tensions, and students should play a role. But the actual mediation of disputes should be carried out by professionals, whose competence and fairness is not in doubt.