President Neil L. Rudenstine Yesterday opened his doors to 17 student activists protesting the Law School's efforts to improve faculty diversity, holding an impromptu meeting to respond to their complaints.

The half-hour conference with Rudenstine came after 80 students held a silent vigil outside a faculty meeting. Officers of the Coalition for Civil Rights, who organized the vigil, then led students in a march to Mass. Hall.

The students waited in the Mass. Hall reception area for just a few minutes before Rudenstine entered the building, and invited them into his office.

Many students at the vigil were skeptical of Law School Dean Robert C. Clark's efforts to ease tensions on campus through a "community-building project." They said he may be more concerned with smoothing over differences than addressing demands for faculty diversity.

Camille Holmes, a third-year student who is acting coordinator of the coalition, told Rudenstine that students were worried that Law School administrators want to "build community" rather than take concrete action.

Rudenstine defended the administration's sincerity. "I have no interest, and nor do other committed people at the Law School, in papering things over," he said. "But I can't do more than nudge, persuade, push and energize."

Rudenstine said the Law School has improved the diversity of the faculty in the past 10 years, but added that improvement has not been "fast enough."

Rudenstine said he met with 45 Law School professors this summer "to talk--not to browbeat, but to suggest what might be done."

"I think people over there do care," Rudenstine said. "The appointmentscommittee is moving quite vigorously ahead to dosomething."

"I would not say [the appointments committee]has been doing things wrong, I would say theycould do better."

Rudenstine also rebuffed a suggestion that thefull faculty should select members of theappointments committee instead of Dean Clark. Hesaid he would not interfere in the process unless"something was clearly wrong."

Holmes raised a number of other studentconcerns, including the composition of theschool's admissions committee, which she said iscomposed of "conservative white men." Rudenstinesaid the committee should reflect diversity andpromised to investigate.

Holmes also said she was worried about thefuture of the Charles Hamilton Houston Fellowship,a new program created by Clark to channel minoritystudents into academia. She said the fellowshiphas not been guaranteed permanent funding, andcould be abolished once tensions reside.

Rudenstine said he would work to insure thatthe Houston scholarship continues to receivefunding, and plans to launch similar programs inother parts of the University.

Silent Vigil

The students staged the silent vigil outsidethe faculty meeting to demonstrate that "the issueof diversity is alive and well, and that [they]are awaiting progress with hope and resolve,"according to a flyer distributed to professors asthey arrived.

"I think what the dean is trying to do isdivert attention from what we're pushing for. He'susing [the community-building project] to silenceus," said Julie Su, chair of the Asian-AmericanLaw Students Association.

Protesters held posters bearing slogans such as"Qualified Minority Professors: Seek and You ShallFind," "Actions Speak Louder than Words" and"Actions: Not Bad Faith Negotiations." Theychanted "No justice, no peace," before disbanding20 minutes later