Back in 1972, when Harvard students wanted to protest the University's holdings in companies active in Portuguese-controlled Angola, they felt they had to take over a building to make their position known.

Five years later, the headlines have returned to southern Africa, but this time, the University is offering students an alternative to occupying buildings if they want to persuade the University to divest.

The Advisory Committee on Shareholder Responsibility (ACSR)--set up after the 1972 takeover--has announced it will hold an open meeting December 14 for students who wish to discuss the University's shares in companies operating in the Republic of South Africa.

Even if the ACSR decides that South Africa is more repressive than other countries and that Harvard should divest, the University need not act on the recommendation. The ACSR has no way of enforcing its suggestions for Harvard's portfolio.

However, the Corporation has expressed some doubts about its holdings in South Africa, so perhaps the ACSR's requests will not fall on deaf ears.