"People weren't screaming at each other. Peopleweren't angry. It was calmer than many otherdiscussions in the Faculty," said one member ofthe Faculty who attended the meeting.
The Faculty did not discuss the case of JoshuaM. Elster, Class of 2000, in yesterday's meeting,according to Seltzer. Seltzer said Elster's casehas not yet come before the Faculty Council,either. In February 1998, Elster raped a femaleundergraduate. Last September, he pled guilty tothree counts of rape, two counts of assault andbattery and one count of indecent assault inMiddlesex Superior Court.
The Ad Board has demanded that Elster withdrawfrom the College and has recommended hisdismissal. The former Kirkland House resident iscurrently serving three years probation but nojail time.
The Open Meeting
During the open portion of the Faculty meeting,Benjamin O. Shuldiner '99 read a statement onbehalf of the Progressive Student Labor Movement(PSLM) about sweatshop labor.
Shuldiner's statement came during the sectionof the meeting reserved for open questioning ofRudenstine. When Shuldiner rose to speak, thecrowd that had been audible through the archedwindows of the Faculty room fell silent.
Shuldiner reviewed negotiations between theUniversity and PSLM over the past year regardingsweatshop labor. He ended his statement by askingfor a direct response from Rudenstine about theUniversity's position on disclosure of thelocations of factories producing college apparel.
"We feel that public disclosure of factorylocations is an especially important andindispensable provision for any Universityanti-sweatshop policy," Shuldiner said. "One ofthe primary reasons for the existence of today'sglobal sweatshop problem is the extent to whichmanufacturers can hide their subcontractingoperations from human-rights groups and thepublic."
As Rudenstine began his response, theprotesters again began to chant, nearly drowningout his reply.
Rudenstine told Shuldiner that he did notbelieve a "long-term policy is ultimatelyeffective without such disclosure."
Following Rudenstine's comment, the Universitydistributed a press release that stated itssupport for public disclosure of factorylocations. (Please see related story, page 1.)
The chants of the protesting students at timesmade it difficult to hear inside the meeting.
Some Faculty members supported the students'desires to voice their opinions.
"This reminds me of the late Sixties. This isgreat," said Henry Louis "Skip" Gates, chair ofthe Afro-American Studies department.
"The students were exercising their right tomake their voices heard," Buell said.
Faculty members seemed at first amused by thecoordinated yells of the crowd. When Knowles roseto speak at the start of the meeting, the crowdoutside erupted in cheers.
"I could get used to that," he quipped.
As the meeting progressed, however, Facultymembers became visibly annoyed by the loud chantsand drums, which at times seemed to rattlespeakers.
"I was disgusted by moronic Harvard studentschanting political slogans," said Kenan Professorof Government Harvey C. Mansfield Jr. '53 afterthe meeting.
In other business, the Faculty unanimouslyapproved a new joint Ph.D. program in Government,Sociology and Social Policy.--Jenny E. Heller contributed to the reportingof this story.