And while administrators predict that the University is unlikely to alter its current stance on South Africa, activists say that Bok's successor might be better disposed to address their concerns.

"It's hard to see how we could go further back," Wood says. "I think a new president could make divestment a prerequisite for the job.

"I mean, no one wants to have a uselessly divided Board of Overseers and an alienated student body. A new president might say, `Let's handle this quickly and responsibly.'"

Bourgois says that for many members of his class, Bok personally symbolizes the University's inaction on South Africa. His role in the controversy often comes up at class reunions and social occasions, Bourgois says.

"We joke that `isn't it nice we can use the issue of South Africa to not give money'" Bourgois says. "But it is something I can be proud of. I didn't just sit back on my ass. I thank God that I had the common sense to use the liberty of my college years to make a political statement."

And while the divestment campaign appears to have lost most of its momentum in recent years, several activists say that the movement remains a pressing ethical question for the University that will almost certainly cause problems for Bok's successor.

"I certainly hope the next president will be more responsive to the student input and their needs," says Evan O. Grossman '87-'88.