Paul Siemens '98 of Chestnut Ridge, N.Y., sued his alma mater, Spring Valley High School, for using a ranking system that left him out of the valedictory spot. Siemens' lawyer compared the school's ranking system, which double-counts the first semester of senior year, to the injustices suffered by Black slaves and disenfranchised women.

The school's lawyer said the ranking policy had been in effect for 30 years.

Meanwhile, in the warmer climes of Miami, Raymond L. Cummings '98, the salutatorian of his high school class, was making enemies with his graduation speech.

After Cummings deviated from his pre-approved text to a frank discussion of race, his school's activities director wrote to Harvard criticizing the student for a lack of character.

The move quickly backfired. Harvard expressed its support of Cummings, and the high school stripped the activities director of his post.

Levenson Winner Investigated

A former Levenson Award winner is the target of a police investigation and has been banned from Harvard's libraries.

A letter distributed by the police to several university libraries showed a color or picture of William D. Cole, who earned a Ph.D in French literature from Harvard in 1991.

The letter urged checkers to call the police if he was spotted.

The letter did not discuss specific charges against Cole, but Police Chief Paul E. Johnson said the case is still open.

University Wins Battenfield Case

A jury awarded no money to a former Extension School student who sued an adviser and the University for sexual harassment.

M. Delise Battenfield alleged that Donald Ostrowski, who coordinated students' research, sexually harassed her three times in 1988 and once in 1991. Battenfield also charged that the University was negligent in responding to several complaints she lodged.

In a decision handed down in late June, the jury ruled that Ostrowski "internationally cause [d] a harmful or offensive physical contact with" Battenfield. But the jury also established that the physical contact did not cause injury to Battenfield.

Research Funding Slashed