A panel discussion on faculty diversity at the Law School yesterday turned into a series of heated comments on the school's faculty hiring policies.

Approximately 125 students attended the Pound Hall discussion, which was sponsored by the Black Law Students Association and a number of the school's other political and ethnic organizations.

Carter Professor of General Jurisprudence Charles Fried defended the Law School's policies, saying, "Diversity today is much better in every way."

"We demand and will continue to demand excellence from those who teach you," said Fried. "If that decision doesn't result in the demographic display that you all want, that's unfortunate."

But Morton J. Horwitz, Warren professor of American legal history, disagreed with Fried's assertion that the school's attempts to improve diversity are satisfactory.

"I believe there is no longer a strong general principle of commitment to diversity," Horwitz said.

Urging high standards for the hiring of faculty members, Fried questioned the discretion of the City University of New York in tenuring controversial Afro-American studies professor Leonard Jeffries. Jeffries spoke at Harvard earlier this month.

Fried said that Jeffries--who has been criticized for making statements perceived as racist, anti-Semitic and anti-gay--was unqualified for his post, and called him "a totally deplorable person, morally deplorable."

Audience members whispered to each other and appeared visibly agitated in response to Fried's comments on Jeffries.

Later, during the question and answer period, Black Law Students Association member David Strickland criticized Fried's use of Jeffries as "an exemplar."

"[Jeffries] does not necessarily represent all Black candidates," said Strickland, one of the panelists.

Students and faculty present at the discussion debated possible ways of changing the hiring process.

One student proposed that published papers considered in the process and minutes of deliberative meetings be made available to the public.

Professor of Law Frank I. Michelman, who was not a panel member, said that the hiring process would remain confidential, however. In response to a question from the audience, Michelman said that no one involved in hiring had challenged the confidentiality policy "seriously" recently.

The panel's organizers said that two upcoming events at the Law School had prompted the discussion. A suit alleging that the Law School's hiring policies are discriminatory goes before the state's Supreme Judicial Court next Tuesday, and Professor of Law Derrick Bell has said he will announce his decision next week on whether to leave the school permanently.

Bell took a leave of absence from the Law School more than a year ago to protest the school's lack of any tenured minority and women professors.