Professors Question Lax Sit-In Sanctions

Students involved in last semester’s occupation of Massachusetts Hall got off easy, according to two professors who questioned their punishment in a motion at Wednesday’s Faculty Council meeting.

The motion—raised by Philip A. Kuhn, Higginson Professor of History and East Asian Languages and Civilizations and English Professor James Engell—reaffirms the Faculty’s 1970 Resolution on Rights and Responsibilities which states, among other things, that “...interference with members of the University in performance of their normal duties and activities must be regarded as unacceptable obstruction of the essential processes of the University.”

Professors Engell and Kuhn were unavailable for comment, as were students from the sit-in.

Also at Wednesday’s meeting—the first of the semester—Dean of the Faculty of Arts and Sciences Jeremy R. Knowles shared with the council his expectations for the coming academic year.

Knowles stressed the importance of electives as a part of the undergraduate experience, and discussed allowing students to earn credit for freshman seminars. He also suggested relaxing concentration requirements, and increasing the number of departmental classes that can be used to fulfill Core requirements.

Knowles said the leave policy for senior faculty members needs improvement, and added that the Faculty needs to focus on creating new buildings and academic centers to enable more appointments.

In his first address to the council, new University President Lawrence H. Summers asked that the council look into increasing opportunities for students to study abroad.

—Staff writer Kate L. Rakoczy can be reached at rakoczy@fas.harvard.edu.