As has been proven time and again, University officials need to watch what they say. Last week, Dean of the Faculty Jeremy R. Knowles for got.

By declining to meet briefly with Latino student groups and by steering them to administrators who deal primarily with race relations, not with academic affairs, he sent the wrong message.

And if Knowles doesn't meet with Latino students who want to discuss the need for greater Latino curriculum and faculty representation, it's pretty clear that members of La O and Raza will start responding in ways that go beyond mere organizational meetings.

For argument's sake, let's say Knowles' refusal to meet with Raza President Lilia Fernandez '95 and La O President Efrain Cortes '94 last week isn't totally incomprehensible. Let's grant that Knowles is a busy man who had already filled his schedule with important meetings for the week. And let's take Knowles at his word when he says he wanted the students to meet with some one in University Hall as soon as possible rather than wait for a far-off meeting with him. Fine.

But steering the students directly to the offices of Dean for Undergraduate Education Lawrence Buell or Associate Dean of the Faculty for Affirmative Action Marjorie Garber would have made a lot more sense than what Knowles actually did.

Knowles told the students to meet instead with Dean of Students Archie C. Epps III, whose new role may include coordinating minority student affairs but hasn't, as far as we know, been broadened to include minority faculty hiring. And if Knowles can't spare a few minutes, why should he expect that Epps, who now runs the combined race relations offices in addition to tending to his normal work, would have the time?

Knowles also suggested that the students approach the Harvard Foundation's academic affairs committee (a body that is slated to be dissolved) and the student-faculty committee (a body that does not yet exist) to be headed by Professor of Afro-American Studies K. Anthony Appiah.

After all, they wished to raise issues directly related to faculty hiring. Knowles' saying that the students were talking to the wrong man is like George Bush deflecting voters' complaints about the economy to Congress. How else is a dean of the Faculty supposed to fill his days if not with meetings related to hiring professors?

Knowles' advice was not just pointless but sends Latino students the wrong message. His response minimized the seriousness the students' opinions deserve. Low representation on the Faculty of Latino professors is not a matter to be discussed just by campus race committees. It is a significant faculty problem that deserves immediate attention.

Harvard currently has only four tenured Latino faculty members. No courses are offered that deal significantly with the experience of Hispanic-Americans in U.S. politics, society or history. Sure, class offerings that deal with Latin America are already in the course catalog, but Raza and La O members have specifically expressed concern for the lack of Mexican-American and Puerto Rican-related courses.

Whether a Latino Studies Department should eventually be created isn't at issue since Latino students haven't even been able to get in the door of Knowles' office.

Lessons can be learned from the Black Students Association (BSA) and its fight against the the dearth of faculty in the Afro-American Studies Department two years ago. When talks with the administration over Afro-Am hiring broke down, BSA-led protests--including sit-ins at University Hall--paved the way for the expanded Afro-Am Department.

Just as the BSA did with Black faculty, Raza and La O have prepared a list of Latino faculty elsewhere who could be attracted to teach at Harvard. They have written letters to the appropriate deans with the hope of receiving an audience receptive to their suggestions.

If Knowles can't find the 10 minutes to meet with Raza and La O representatives, rallies, protests and sit-ins could very well follow. If his excuses persist, he will have spent more time telling people he doesn't have the time to speak with La O and Raza than it would actually take to talk with them. Fernandez has sent a second letter to Knowles, again expressing the desire to meet. If the dean again responds negatively, Fernandez said, "We'll have to do something else. We don't want to get caught up in sending letters back and forth."

More than 70 Latino students expressed their frustration last week at organizational meetings and, Fernandez said, "In terms of what to do in the future, we're keeping in mind what BSA did."

We understand that Knowles' office is a busy one. Maybe Raza and La O representatives did approach him when he had absolutely no time to spare. But surely he can shorten a Faculty Club lunch break or make a future appointment to meet with students about this important issue.

If he doesn't, that busy office may be crowded with shouting protesters.