Princeton Dean Hit in Scuffle

Neil L. Rudenstine, dean of students at Princeton University and former assistant professor of English at Harvard was knocked down in a scuffle during an SDS demonstration at the Institute for Defense Analyses in Princeton Wednesday.

Rudenstine said yesterday that he is perfectly well, and will not take action against anybody. He said he felt that "the pattern of behavior that leads to the situation where student confronts student is serious and undesirable."

About 90 members and sympathizers of SDS blocked the steps of the IDA building Wednesday morning, preventing anyone from entering, John Fenton, associate director of Public Information at Princeton, said yesterday.

The demonstrators arrived at about 8 to the Princeton campus. Princeton owns the land, and leases it to the IDA. Princeton cut all ties with IDA last year.

The demonstrators arrived at about 8 a.m. About 9:45 a.m. an IDA employee rushed the demonstrators (there were about 20 at that point) and tried to forcibly push his way through, Fenton said. Rudenstine tried to restrain the IDA employee. There was a scuffle, and Rudenstine was knocked down, Fenton said.

Fenton said he could not be certain because of the confusion, but that he thought it was the IDA employee who hit Rudenstine. Fenton witnessed the scuffle.

The demonstrators left about 10:45 a.m., before police could arrive to arrest them. They said their purpose was to get rid of IDA, not to be arrested.