A Bad Start

MISCONCEIVED, DESTRUCTIVE, PREMATURE--these are the words Harvard Vice President and General Counsel Daniel Steiner '54 used to describe a report by the Southern Africa Solidarity Committee (SASC) on the University's fledgling South Africa Internship Program, which was funded this September as part of a one million dollar University grant to help Black South Africans. But he missed the mark on all three points.

The report was misconceived, argued Steiner, because it was based on an incomplete list of internships that was never meant to be public. Premature because it said the University didn't talk to Black South African leaders, whereas in fact the process was ongoing. And destructive because the program was not yet established and thus unfairly criticized by the report.

Steiner feels SASC failed to investigate the truth in order to quickly produce a critical report. Actually, it was the University that failed to conduct responsible research and preparation.

Anxious to establish the internships quickly, the committee charged by President Derek C. Bok to establish the program failed to realize the implications of the internship idea in South Africa. By rushing the program to preempt the activities of divestment activists this spring, the committee, chaired by Steiner, neglected to consult with Black South African leaders or to adequately research prospective internships. The committee also failed to take into consideration harsh criticism of the program by Black South Africans at Harvard and offered a tentative list of internships at nine institutions which would provide little or no benefit to Blacks, and in some cases might actually bolster the system of racial domination and economic exploitation in that country.

The University's actions were slipshod. Moreover, Harvard officials have yet to acknowledge the inadequacy of the internship program as it currently stands. They have refused to meet with the authors of the report or to agree not to send interns to the programs it criticizes. These actions are a minimal first step; they should be taken immediately. Instead the University seems determined to continue the internship program on its present course despite clear inadequacies.

If Harvard wants to send student interns to South Africa, it is up to the University to show both that such internships would benefit Blacks in that country and that Black leaders view it favorably. There is no need to rush the program. If University officials are serious about helping Blacks in South Africa, they should study possible internships carefully and without reference to political considerations here at Harvard. The current program has been poorly planned and poorly constructed. Perhaps it can be improved in the future, but the University has to do its homework first.