"Then there were laws that made it impossible to exercise rights... No opening for debate. No chance to get a good hearing," he said.

Rudenstine emphasized the openness of the community and his own office, adding that the other side of his openness is students' responsibility not to abuse trust and resort to coercive measures when they are unable to convince people of their causes.

"This is a community where all buildings are open and you can blitz with e-mail.... It's an open forum for debate," he said, adding that debate at Harvard has caused change.

In the end, he professed his willingness to revisit the topic and reopen debate, but remained firm that students must be willing to play fairly and risk the possibility that they might ultimately not persuade their audience.

"If your arguments are persuasive, you'll win," he said. "If they're not, we'll debate, and what happens happens."

BSA Political Action Chair Fred O. Smith '04 said he was pleased with the event.

"I learned about the complexities of these issues and the difficulties of running a university," Smith said.

Smith-who said he supports a living wage-added that he was "more sympathetic" regarding Rudenstine and his PSLM stance following the meeting.