Long-time consumer advocate Ralph Nader has turned his attention to Harvard's power structure, announcing yesterday the formation of Harvard Watch, a non-profit organization to monitor the administration of the University.

"Universities are too valuable to become adjuncts to the Fortune 500," said Nader, who said he is funding the Harvard Watch project to encourage the free "flow of information" and "heathy discussion" of governing policy within the Harvard community.

The Center for the Study of Responsive Law, a Nader group, will finance the project's efforts to examine the University's administrative structure, said Robert Weissman '88-'89, who has taken this year off to head the Watch.

Weissman, who will be told by Nader what to research, said he is presently the only person at Harvard to be involved in the group.

In interviews yesterday Nader and Weissman said that Harvard Watch plans to publicize a wide range of issues relating to the process of decision-making at Harvard.

The project will be "looking at the governing structure of the University, looking at the proposed student faculty commission on discipline, looking at agreements Harvard has reached with corporations, and also looking at individual professors' relations to the private sector," said social studies concentrator Weissman.

President Derek C. Bok and Vice President for Government and Public affairs John Shattuck were out of town yesterday and unavailable for comment. Associate Dean for Finance Candace R. Corvey and Director of the News Office Peter Costa did not return repeated calls. Vice President and General Counsel Daniel Steiner '54 declined comment about Harvard Watch.

Method of Governance

Nader was critical not only of University policy but also of what he called Harvard's "authoritarian" method of governance.

"Here is the alleged fountainhead of enlightenment, and it runs its shop in an authoritarian way, and not without a bit of arrogance towards the rest of the Harvard community," he said.

Said Weissman, "When [Eaton Professor of the Science of Government Samuel P.] Huntington introduced [Philippine President Corazon C.] Aquino a few weeks ago he refered to the Corporation as 'our politburo.' We think this is a very accurate assessment."

"[The Corporation] is seven white men who meet in secret, don't publish their notes, are purposefully anonymous, yet who own all of Harvard's property and make final decisions which affect the whole Harvardcommunity without any community input," saidWeissman.

Weissman is currently researching the powerstructures of other American and foreignuniversities in an attempt to show that there areadministrations where students play a role in thedecion-making process, he said.

"Students should have more that a nominalrepresentation on [Harvard's] governing body, andfaculty should also," Nader said.

By publicizing the methods and decisions of theUniversity, Weissman and Nader said they hope tofoster discussion at Harvard and ultimatelypromote change within the University.