April 6: Charles E. Wyzanski Jr. '27, the Chief Judge of the Federal District Court in Boston, ruled that non-religious conscientious objectors are entitled to the same exemption from military service as CO's who profess a faith in God. Wyzanski's unprecedented ruling came in the case of John H. Sisson '67, who had refused military induction as a non-religious conscientious objector.
Dean Glimp, speaking for the Corporation's special ROTC negotiating committee, denied rumors that the committee would try to circumvent the Faculty's guidelines on ROTC. Glimp said that the rules of negotiations were not yet clear, but that "withdrawal of the [ROTC] units seems to me to be an extremely unlikely outcome."
Wilbur Bender '27, former dean of the College and dean of Admissions, died in Cambridge.
April 7: President Pusey appointed a new assistant to specialize in University relation with local communities. The new assistant, Edward S. Gruson, was scheduled to start work on July 1.
The Masters of three Harvard Houses said they were willing to participate in a co-ed living exchange for next fall. The three Masters--from Winthrop, Adams, and Lowell Houses--said they and a number of student organizations would try to get Corporation approval for the plan.
April 8: At a long nighttime SDS meeting, resolutions calling for immediate occupation of a University building were defeated three times by narrow margins. After the meeting, 300 students marched to President Pusey's house, tacked a list of demands onto his door, and rallied for nearly half an hour in the Yard. The list of demand included abolishing" ROTC, halting Harvard construction in local residential areas, and restoring scholarships to students on probation for the Paine Hall sit-in.
The Faculty met to consider the Wolff committee proposals for reforming the GSAS but adjourned without coming to a decision. The Faculty also briefly considered plans for Harvard-Radcliffe merger.
The Committee on Educational Policy turned down a request by the staff of Soc Sci 125 asking that the grading requirement be removed from the course. CEP spokesmen said that "some measure of comparative performance" was necessary for certification of degrees.
April 9: After a rally in the Yard at noon, about 250 students occupied University Hall and evicted--some times forcibly--the deans who had offices here. At 4 p.m., Dean Ford ordered the Yard closed and told the students inside the hall that if they did not leave in 15 minutes they would face criminal trespass charges. President Pusey met with deans from the various Faculties throughout the afternoon and night but announced no possible action against the demonstrators. Moderate students from the HUC, the HRPC, and the SFAC scheduled a mass meeting to consider a response.
April 10: At 4 a.m., 200 suburban police began massing at Memorial Hall, and at 5 a.m. a total of 400 police marched into the Yard. The police cleared students from the steps of University Hall in four quick club swinging rushes and then marched inside to remove demonstrators from the building. Nearly 200 students were arrested and about 50 were treated for injuries during the action.
At 10 a.m. 2000 students met in Memorial Church and called a three-day strike to protest the use of police. The group sent out a list of demands including dropping criminal charges against arrested demonstrators, keeping police off the campus, holding a binding referendum on ROTC, and restructuring the Corporation. SDS held it sown meeting at night and decided to form separate picket lines.
April 11: At a special meeting, the Faculty voted to drop criminal charges against students arrested in the raid and to elect a special committee to handle discipline and to study the causes and effects of the disruption. The Faculty combined two proposed resolutions and finally passed a statement criticizing both the seizure of the building and the use of police. President Pusey and Dean Ford explained the decision to call police, stressing the importance of files in University Hall and the Administration's feeling that "there was no alternative."
Afro members charged that the Standing Committee on Afro-American Studies has broken an agreement by releasing a "totally inadequate" concentration plan for students majoring in Afro-American Studies. Afro joined the strike and demanded greater student control of the Afro-American Studies department.
April 13: In response to the Afro protest, the Standing Committee on Afro-American Studies drafted an entirely new concentration plan. The old plan required students to combine their major with some other field; the new plan made Afro-American Studies an interdisciplinary major like Social Studies. Afro members said they still wanted greater student power in running the department.
The Corporation held a special meeting and set up a new 68 member advisory body--made up of students, Faculty, and administrators-to consult with President Pusey in the event of future emergencies. The Corporation also issued a statement saying that "acts of violence" could force it to close the University.
