The Department of Health, Education and Welfare is examining Harvard's minority hiring practices. At stake is more than $60 million Harvard gets each year from the Federal government.

Three HEW representatives have been at Harvard since Monday reviewing the University's compliance with the equal employment opportunity provisions of the Civil Rights Act of 1964.

John Wiley, senior contract compliance specialist of the HEW civil rights office, who heads the Harvard examination, said last night, "Our concern is with affirmative action to employ Negroes where they have not formerly worked-and this includes as. Faculty members. I don't know of any institution that's been able to comply to our standards without making some changes," he added.

Executive Order #11246 of 1963 requires any University receiving Federal funds to prove it provides equal employment opportunity to minority group workers. Until last summer, this provision was enforced by that Federal agency which gave the university the most money-in Harvard's case, the Atomic Energy Commission.

Last summer, however, compliance enforcement for all institutions was turned over to HEW, and each institution was required to demonstrate an "affirmative action program" for minority group hiring.

'Affirmative Action'

In November-after several large institutions including Yale, Princeton and M. I. T. received letters from HEW demanding proof of "affirmative action"-the President and Fellows Issued a statement of Harvard's commitment to "continuing and expanding positive programs which will assure the strengthening" of equal opportunity hiring policies. At that time, a HEW compliance officer said the statement "seems to satisfy all our requirements."

On January 7, the Corporation announced the appointment of overseer Clifford L. Alexander '55 to develop "a comprehensive minority hiring program" for the University.

Last month President Pusey received a letter from the HEW civil rights division asking Harvard to submit a written affirmative action program andinforming him that three HEW investigators would be here March 2.

Notwithstanding Wiley's claim, L. Gard Wiggins, administrative vice-president of the University, said yesterday he is confident Harvard's minority hiring program is sufficient to get HEW approval. "We think our program is very good," he said.

John B. Butler, Harvard director of Personnel, said Harvard's affirmative action program has been merely "pulling together the various affirmative action plans of all the Faculties." He said nothing Harvard has done to improve minority hiring practices was in response to any government threat.

"Being a large employer in an area with a lot of minority unemployment," Wiley said, "Harvard is in a good position to help out."

'MA-5'

One way Harvard is trying to help is through the Department of Labor's "MA-5" program. In this 18-month program, to begin in about two weeks, Harvard will employ and help train 79 previously unemployed minority workers whom the Labor Department has defined as impoverished. The government will pay $176,000 of the program's cost. Harvard will pay over $200,000.