"What's very upsetting to people is the claim that Mansfield is making, that there's some inferiority between blacks and whites as far as academics are concerned," said BSA Treasurer Brandon A. Gayle '03. "I think he needs to be confronted about this directly."

Lewis criticized Mansfield for his irresponsibility in making what he called a "divisive" and "unsubstantiated" claim, but BSA called at its Feb. 9 meeting for sanctions beyond verbal criticism.

"The University has not done anything in the way of censuring him," said BSA President Aaliyah N. Williams '02. "For an institution that says it values diversity so much...they should walk the walk instead of just talking it."

BSA leaders immediately scheduled meetings with several administrators to discuss possible ways to discipline Mansfield, conferring with Assistant Dean of the College David B. Fithian, Rudenstine, Lewis and Dean of Undergraduate Education Susan G. Pedersen '82.

On Feb. 13, over 60 protestors-mostly BSA members-silently sat in on Mansfield's Government 1061 lecture. By then, BSA leaders had softened their rhetoric.

"We're just trying to talk to the University to figure out what type of actions can be taken," Williams said. "You can't fire [Mansfield] and you can't completely censor him, but is there any effective way of letting him know that these statements cannot be made?"

Mansfield, for his part, praised the protest for its civility and invited Williams and Gayle to meet with him personally.

After meeting with BSA leaders on Feb. 14, Rudenstine finally issued a public statement the following day, denying the connection between grade inflation and an increased number of black students at the College.

"Nothing I have personally observed, and nothing I have read or heard, leads me to believe that grade inflation resulted from the enrollment of greater numbers of minority students," Rudenstine wrote.

The statement did not address the question of formal sanctions against Mansfield. In fact, it did not even mention the professor by name. What it did do was emphasize that it is "important that students, faculty, and other members of the community feel free to express and debate their views openly and honestly."

Williams said she was happy with the statement, having come to the conclusion after meetings with administrators that no discipline against Mansfield, a tenured professor, could be taken.

She said that after Mansfield's participation in a discussion at a Feb. 19 general BSA meeting, the group would seek no further action against the professor.

It took a while though for the controversy to fizzle out.

On Feb. 22, The Crimson printed an editorial by Gayle arguing that Mansfield had not supported his arguments with evidence, and on Feb. 27, Mansfield criticized Rudenstine's statement in his own op-ed. The war of words in The Crimson lasted until Mansfield's final letter to the editor on May 1.

And on Feb. 25, some members of the Undergraduate Council tried (unsuccessfully) to convince the council to censure Mansfield for his comments.