In an open meeting of the full Faculty of Arts and Sciences yesterday afternoon, Kenan Professor of Government Harvey C. Mansfield '53 publicly challenged President Neil L. Rudenstine about the pervasiveness of political correctness at Harvard.

"Having suffered though yet another excruciatingly P.C. Commencement I felt I had to say something," Mansfield said at the meeting.

Mansfield condemned the choice of several recent Commencement Day speakers, along with the process by which the speakers were selected.

Of the recent speakers, Mansfield particularly criticized Norwegian Prime Minister Gro Harlem Brundt-land, former Philippine president Corazon Aquino and last year's speaker, former president of Ireland Mary R. Robinson.

"They were three women, three liberals and three mediocrities," he said.

His comment drew gasps and hisses from the Faculty.

Mansfield proposed Margaret H. Thatcher, former Prime Minister of Great Britain, as a conservative woman worthy of future consideration.

"All you have to do is to look around the scene and ask yourself who is the mightiest woman of our time and that would be Margaret Thatcher," Mansfield said.

"Yet Harvard has not seen fit to honor her in any way."

Comparing Thatcher to recent honorees, Mansfield said he saw "a sorry contrast."

Rudenstine explained that he personally wields little power in the naming of Commencement speakers. A committee including members of the Faculty and of the Corporation makes the choice. He urged Mansfield to write a letter to that committee.

Mansfield also used the time devoted to open questioning to denounce the first-year Expository Writing program, which he called "P.C. to the core."

"Every single one of those courses was on contemporary literature and most were on political themes, and most were on race, class and gender," Mansfield said.

Rudenstine confessed he knew little about the Expos. program, but expressedconfidence in its effectiveness as a teachingtool.

Mansfield was the only professor who raisedquestions during the section of the meetingdevoted to general comments to the President.

Also during the meeting William R. Fitzsimmons'67, dean of admissions and financial aid,reported the details of the recently announcedreform of undergraduate financial aid.