AN OPEN LETTER ABOUT THE S.D.S. CONVENTION

A letter sent by Dean Epps to Miss Katherine Moss, Vice President of Harvard-Radcliffe S.D.S., makes it clear that Harvard may use its disapproval of the campaign against Herrnstein as a reason for denying facilities for the S.D.S. National Convention against Racism. In our opinion, and, we feel sure, that of many other faculty members as well, such an action would be an ominous act of political repression, and one without precedent in Harvard's history, as far as we know. Nor do the other reasons mentioned in Dean Epp's letter (that students are still on campus the two days before Easter weekend, etc.) do anything to alleviate our anxiety. It is excellent that the student movement is beginning to concentrate on the issue of racism, and we feel that failure on the part of the Harvard administration to grant permission to have the S.D.S. Convention against Racism, March 30 through April 2, would be a further example of unresponsiveness on the question of racism, as well as a dangerous precedent in the direction of a new McCarthyism.

Eliott Selar, Florence Heller School Brandies

William Ryan, Dept. of Sociology Boston College

Howard Zinn, Dept. of Political Science Boston University

Larry Brown, Dept. of Sociology Boston State College

Elaine S. Fiorillo, Dept. of Sociology Boston State College

Warren Greely, Dept. of Economics Boston State College

Nancy J. Hafkin, Dept. of History Boston State College

Michael M. Hirsch, Dept. of Sociology Boston State College

Elinor Otlewski, Dept. of English Boston State College

Steven Rosenthal, Dept. of Sociology Boston State College

Elizabeth Useem, Dept. of Sociology Boston State College

Anthony Kroch, Dept. of Anthropology University of Connecticut

Richard Boyd, Dept. of Philosophy Harvard University

Steven Jay Gould, Dept. of Geology Harvard University

Hilary Putnam, Dept. of Philosophy Harvard University

Alan Tobin, Dept. of Biology Harvard University

Bert Shapiro, Dept. of Biology Harvard University

Michael Useem, Dept. of Social Relations Harvard University

David Wiggins, Dept. of Philosophy London University (visitor at Harvard)

Stephen Chorover, Dept. of Psychology M.I.T.

Mathew D. Edel, Dept. of Economics M.I.T.

Harold Freeman, Dept. of Economics M.I.T.

Kenneth Hale, Dept. of Linguistics M.I.T.

Douglas A. Hibbs, Dept. of Political Science M.I.T.

Paul Kiparsky, Dept. of Linguistics M.I.T.

David Levin, Dept. of Philosophy M.I.T.

G. Hubert Mathews, Dept. of Linguistics M.I.T. (These names were collected in less than twenty four hours. We intend to continue soliciting signatures.)

Richard Miller, Dept. of Philosophy M.I.T.

William Watson, Dept. of Humanities M.I.T.

Samuel Blank, Dept. of Mathematics, Northeastern University

Robert Cherry, Dept. of Economics Northeastern University

Michael Chairman, Dept. of Economics Northeastern University

John Frampton, Dept. of Mathematics Northeastern University

Michael Glaubman, Dept. of Physics Northeastern University

Helen Mahud, Dept. of Psychology Northeastern University

Stanley L. Spiegel, Dept. of Physics Northeastern University

Jack Stauder, Dept. of Anthropology Northeastern University

William Spector, Dept. of Economics Salem State College

Norman Daniels, Dept. of Philosophy Tufts University

Carolyn Magid, Dept. of Philosophy Wellesley College

Rutha Anna Putnam, Dept. of Philosophy Wellesley College