At the time, Knowles referred the students to Dean of Students Archie C. Epps III, who is the College's point person on race relations issues a response that "offended" one of the students acting on the issue and sparked student meetings to discuss procrastination by the administration.

Epps then said he would act a a "facilitator" in the matter, directing the students' concerns to the proper authorities. In the end, students met with four top-level administrators. Epps, Buell, Associate Dean for Affirmative Action Manorie Garber and, in due time, Knowles.

Although the students eventually did meet with Knowles, confusion yet reigns over the question of who is in charge, a confusion that may have slowed the process of answering student concerns.

Students say it is not always clear who is the proper person to approach with concerns over curricular and faculty issues.

"It's difficult to figure out who to go to and what to do," said Veronica Rosales '94, former president of Mexican American student group Raza, at a junior parents weekend event Saturday.

Epps said the exact procedure is still being worked out

"We're talking about it among ourselves," he said yesterday. "The curricular concerns are under the academic deans, and the extracurricular concerns fall under Mr. lewett and myself."

Rudenstine said it is "the faculty and academic deans and FAS, who will have to analyze, think through, talk with students and figure out what is the right direction to go there."

That is precisely the problem, Ali said. Knowles "does not have a positive history as far as meeting with students," he said.

The coalition flier cited meetings with Epps, Buell, Garber and Knowles, but called these authorities "irresponsive."

But officials defend Knowles and other FAS authorities efforts to meet the requests of undergraduate groups. Students may not be able to see concrete change at this moment, but a gradual process is underway, they say.

The Faculty's Committee on Educational Policy formed a subcommittee in March to explore the question of ethnic studies and perhaps to look at the affirmative action difficulties of the FAS.

Buell, who chairs the subcommittee, gives Knowles credit for originating it and said the action shows how concerned the Dean of the Faculty is about student requests.

"This is going to be a more comprehensively active committee that's focused on trying to make recommendations on permanent curriculum development," Buell said. The committee has not met yet, he said, but will come together soon.

"I hope, by the end of spring term, we will have some specific policy recommendations that will contain the ingredients for a coherent plan for developing a more permanent future for ethnic studies in the curriculum," he said.