In the 1980s, elections for the University's Board of Overseers were often marked by controversy and mudslinging.

In the wake of controversy engulfing apartheid-ridden South Africa, some students and alumni called on the University to divest of its South Africa-related stock.

And in an effort to turn the elections into something of a referendum on the issue, the Harvard-Radcliffe Alumni Against Apartheid (HRAAA) began nominating candidates by petition to run against the official slate.

The challenge produced a defensive reaction from University administrators and members of the Corporation, the University's more powerful governing board. They began lobbying against what they called "single-issue," "second-rate" candidates.

The HRAAA succeeded in getting four of its candidates--among them South African Archbishop Desmond M. Tutu--elected to the board.

But as the political climate of the late 1980s changed and the South African government began making some improvements in its treatment of Blacks, pressure for divestment subsided and attention shifted elsewhere.

And since the beginning of the decade, without a contentious issue on which to focus, overseers elections have been uncannily quiet.

1995 was no exception. And as a result, the five new overseers say they are still developing ideas about what they want to do over the next six years.

Even so, their appointment on June 8 offers them a significant opportunity to take a hand in the University's governance.

The new overseers will meet at least five times per year, advising the University's president and influencing its policies. The overseers also visit andevaluate faculties, departments and other programsthroughout the University.

Problems of Internationalization

Dr. John C. Baldwin '71, the chair of thedepartment of Surgery at Baylor College ofMedicine, says during his tenure he will emphasizethe need to integrate international students morefully into the University.

He says the internationalization of Harvard mayhave resulted in isolated "pockets" of studentsand adds that this impedes the discussions andsharing of ideas that are among the most importantbenefits of a diverse population.

"That very essential part of undergraduatelife--that sort of free exchange--may beinfluenced by more international students," hesaid in a telephone interview. "Bringing people inand maintaining a cultural island is not what wewant."

Baldwin says recent visits to campus have givenhim the impression that the isolation ofinternational students is a problem.

"There may be some element of pockets ofstudents whose ideas and interests may not befully appreciated or experienced by otherstudents," he says. "I had the sense of more ofthat sort of separation of groups than I did whenI was an undergraduate."