The Black students on the other hand complain that the Jewish students try to "abridge [their] freedom of choice in Speakers," "manipulate them" and "try to direct [their] agenda.

We have held meetings, discussions, dinners, film exhibits and numerous other programs in our efforts to improve understanding between Black and Jewish students. Crimson writers active in Hillel have written extensively on this subject and have complained about the Harvard Foundation's support of some of the Black Students Association's programs.

We have continued our efforts to resolve the conflicts between these two groups and to involve Hillel students in the race relations programs of the Harvard Foundation.

However, some of the racial and cultural concerns raised by the Hillel students go far beyond the scope and mandate of the Harvard Foundation. For example, at a recent "Open Discussion on Race Relations" sponsored at Winthrop House by the Student Advisory Committee to get to the core of some of the racial conflicts between African Americans and Jews in our community, a student leader of Hillel complained that "Harvard's celebration of Christian holidays such as Christmas is as offensive to Jews as is racism to Blacks."

The student went on to compare the American celebration of Christmas with racism and anti-Semitism, stating that "America is not a Christian Country." Unfortunately, these concerns did not promote further discussion of race relations among the students in attendance.

Changing America's and Harvard's celebration of traditional Christian calendar events is beyond the mission and interest of the Harvard Foundation for race Relations. We seek more dialogue and understanding among Jewish and Black students about the issues of conflict that we are capable of addressing.

In this academic year, homosexual student groups have approached the Foundation indicating that the "demographics of the University have changed over the last ten years and that just as Asian Americans, African Americans, Puerto Ricans, Mexican Americans and Native Americans are considered cultural minorities, so too should bisexual, gay and lesbian students be deemed a separate culture and given a place on the Harvard Foundation's Board."

Our response is that since the formation of the Foundation we have welcomed the participation of all students without regard to their race, color, national origin, religion, physical status or sexual orientation. However, the Harvard Foundation was established by the Faculty of Arts and Sciences as a race-relations program. Any modification of its mandate to officially include other identifiable interest groups must be made by the FAS. Moreover, the Foundation does not have the power or charge to declare any groups a separate culture.

It is of some interest that the Crimson group would choose to do a feature article on diversity and not cover its own status with regard to staff members of different racial, cultural, and religious backgrounds. Former FAS Dean Henry Rosovsky has said that The Crimson's record of minority appointments and diversity on its staff was poorer than that of Harvard University.

It saddens us that our office receives more racial unfairness complaints about the Crimson group than any other aspect of Harvard. It did not go unnoticed by the University administration, faculty and students that during a recent speech in sanders Theatre by controversial CUNY professor Leonard Jeffries, the loudest and most sustained applause from the more than 700 minority students present came when professor Jeffries questioned the integrity of The Crimson.

It is also significant that the only part of Harvard University to have been successfully sued in the courts for racial harassment is The Crimson.

The Harvard Foundation and many others in this community hope that the Crimson group will join us in our efforts to improve race relations among the students at Harvard in these racially tense times.

We hope that the Crimson group and other student publications will at the very least refrain from the kind of irresponsible and exploitative journalism that presents misinformation and exacerbates racial and ethnic differences.

Finally, most racial conflicts are based on ignorance, arrogance and victimization. We must all seek to rise above these failings to bring about tolerance, understanding and racial sensitivity among our fellow men and women in the Harvard community and the world at large. S. Allen Counter   Director of the Harvard Foundation   Natosha O. Reid '93   Co-chair of the Harvard Foundation Student   Advisory Committee