Rights Committed Finishes Ruling On Forty Blacks

The Committee on Right and Responsibilities has completed its task of disciplining the 40 black students in the College and GSAS who were charged with participating in the two occupations of University Hall last December.

In decisions reached last Thursday the Committee placed two of the students "on warning" for three terms and read a third to withdraw for two terms but suspended his sentence. Decision the 37 other cases were announced on January 22.

None of the 40 blacks were forced to leave the University. Ten were required to withdraw for one to three terms and given suspended sentences, 22 were warnings, and eight were acquitted. Punishments varied according to the students' past disciplinary records and the degree of involvement in the December occupations.

According to the Committee, students required to withdraw but given suspended sentences must leave the University if involved in "any further misconduct deemed sufficiently serious." A warning means that "any further misconduct will lead to more severe disciplinary action

The Committee will decide on Thursday what disciplinary action it will take against four white students accused of harassing Dean May as he read statement to the blacks inside University Hall during the second occupation on December 11. It will consider the cases of two other whites, similarly accused, whom the Committee required on December 15 to leave the University because of their participation in an SDS sit-in last November.

Why Closed Hearings

In a statement issued last Friday the Committee explained its reasons for holding closed hearings for accused students. "A public hearing," the state? said, "would inhibit many if not all parties. . . and lead the Committee to play the role of silent judge."

The statement, which will appear on page five of tomorrow's CRIMSG, was a reply to a petition signed by 22 students from Dudley Cooperative House. That petition called for reinstatement of the 16 students forced to leave the University because of the November sit-in, until they can be given "a fair and open trial,"