60 Divestiture Demonstrators Hold Massachusetts Hall Rally

A contingent of Law School student and faculty staged a much yesterday from the graduate school campus to President Bok's Massachusetts Hall office, protesting Harvard's investments in companies that operate in South Africa.

Bok, however, was out of his office on regularly scheduled appointments during the demonstration, his secretary said.

The lunchtime march, which attracted approximately 60 students at its largest, began with a series of speeches demanding that the University divest from companies doing business in South Africa.

The protestors then marched to Bok's office, where they listened to speeches supporting divestiture by activists and several law professors.

"There's nothing easier than to do nothing," said Professor of Law Gerald E. Frugg, in a short address from the steps of Mass Hall. "We are all doing something here."

"Apartheid is an overt statement that racism is alive and well in the world today," said Sandra Ruffin, president of the Black Law Students Association.

She added. "Black people are not going to lie dormant in the face of apartheid."

The demonstration came on the heels of a protest Monday at the Law School over divestiture, as well as last night's open meeting or the Advisory Committee on Shareholder Responsibility (ACSR).

Organizers of yesterday's protests said, however, that the events were unrelated.

Harvard police stationed three patrol cars and numerous police officers at Mass Hall when the demonstrators arrived. A uniformed policeman ran to block the door of Mass Hall as marchers drew near the building and he remained in front of the door until the group disbanded.