Altered Plan Cuts Financial Ties to ROTC

In response to faculty criticism of President Neil L. Rudenstine's report on ROTC, Acting President Albert Carnesale Yesterday released an addendum that would entirely cut the University's financial ties to the program.

In a statement issued yesterday, Carnesale proposes the creation of a trust fund--to be administered out side Harvard--which would fund student participation in MIT's ROTC program through alumni donations.

In Rudenstine's November 23 statement on ROTC, he proposed that the University administer the pool of alumni contributions.

Carnesale said the donated money would be put in a charitable trust at a bank and administered by the alums who establish it--an arrangement he said is acceptable to MIT.

In a further clarification of the Rudenstine report, Carnesale also wrote that the ROTC commissioning ceremony would be allowed to continue at Commencement.

Carnesale said he drafted yesterday's supplementary decision without Rudenstine's input. He also said that the decision was made by Harvard and not influenced by MIT.

"This is my decision, I take responsibility for it," the acting president said in an interview yesterday afternoon.

The final policy proposal must still be ratified by the Corporation, the more powerful of Harvard's two governing bodies. A vote on the proposal will probably come at next week's Corporation meeting, Carnesale said in a telephone interview last night.

Carnesale's addendum represents a partial reversal from his statements at a December meeting of the full faculty.

Then, Carnesale said that a fund administered outside of Harvard would not provide an adequate guarantee that the funding would continue, and he recommended that the University not establish such a fund.

"At the time I represented the report as I understood it and expressed my preference that the fund go though Harvard," he said. "I am now confident that [the fund's stability] will be assured because we've had individuals step forward and make the commitment."

At the original faculty meeting, about a dozen members of the Faculty of Arts and Sciences (FAS) lambasted Rudenstine's original compromise as being inconsistent with the University's non-discrimination policy.

But faculty members interviewed yesterday expressed satisfaction with Carnesale's new proposal.

"I'm most pleased because this supplementary statement will remove Harvard's financial support of this discriminatory ROTC program," Professor of Philosophy Warren D. Goldfarb '69, a critic of Rudenstine's original proposal, said last night.

Potebnja Professor of Ukrainian PhilologyMichael S. Flier, who blasted the original reportat the faculty meeting, also said he was "verypleased."

"It seems to me that what this report[indicates is] that Carnesale is giving veryserious consideration to the views of the membersof the faculty," Flier said in a telephoneinterview last night.

Baird Professor of Science Gary J. Feldman, amember of the faculty council, said he agreed.

"It was a recommendation some of us made toPresident Rudenstine originally," Feldman said.

Thomas A. Gerace '93, a member of the Committeeto End Discrimination by Harvard, agreed.

In a statement yesterday, Gerace wrote that thecommittee "applauded" the decision.

Faculty members also supported Carnesale'sdecision to hold the ROTC commissioning ceremonyduring Commencement.

"Given that ROTC will no longer be aUniversity-supported enterprise, it seems that [itis] their right as an organized group," Goldfarbsaid.

But at least one faculty member was notsatisfied with the proposal.

"I am in total agreement with point two," KenanProfessor of Government Harvey C. Mansfield '53said in an interview last night. "Point one is anembarrassing accommodation to an extremely foolishfaculty vote."

Mansfield refused to either condemn or endorsethe ROTC addendum.

Carnesale said that he discussed the matterwith several members of the FAS, including Dean ofthe Faculty Jeremy R. Knowles, but that heultimately made the decision himself.

Knowles did not return a phone call to his homelast night.

According to Carnesale the Corporation learnedof the addendum only yesterday.

"The Corporation has authority to decide onthis," said Carnesale. "They received this todayso they have not yet acted on it.

Potebnja Professor of Ukrainian PhilologyMichael S. Flier, who blasted the original reportat the faculty meeting, also said he was "verypleased."

"It seems to me that what this report[indicates is] that Carnesale is giving veryserious consideration to the views of the membersof the faculty," Flier said in a telephoneinterview last night.

Baird Professor of Science Gary J. Feldman, amember of the faculty council, said he agreed.

"It was a recommendation some of us made toPresident Rudenstine originally," Feldman said.

Thomas A. Gerace '93, a member of the Committeeto End Discrimination by Harvard, agreed.

In a statement yesterday, Gerace wrote that thecommittee "applauded" the decision.

Faculty members also supported Carnesale'sdecision to hold the ROTC commissioning ceremonyduring Commencement.

"Given that ROTC will no longer be aUniversity-supported enterprise, it seems that [itis] their right as an organized group," Goldfarbsaid.

But at least one faculty member was notsatisfied with the proposal.

"I am in total agreement with point two," KenanProfessor of Government Harvey C. Mansfield '53said in an interview last night. "Point one is anembarrassing accommodation to an extremely foolishfaculty vote."

Mansfield refused to either condemn or endorsethe ROTC addendum.

Carnesale said that he discussed the matterwith several members of the FAS, including Dean ofthe Faculty Jeremy R. Knowles, but that heultimately made the decision himself.

Knowles did not return a phone call to his homelast night.

According to Carnesale the Corporation learnedof the addendum only yesterday.

"The Corporation has authority to decide onthis," said Carnesale. "They received this todayso they have not yet acted on it.