Clarke said she did not tear down any posters on other bulletin boards.

Abigail L. Fee ’05, president of Harvard Students for Choice, said she made it explicit to her group that members should respect the right of freedom of expression. She said she had done everything she could to ensure that her organization is not responsible for the vandalism of posters.

Tapia described the vandalism in an e-mail to Kidd, who responded Friday night with an e-mail promising to “remind students to respect the rights of all student organizations to poster appropriately on campus.”

“I will also ask them to remind students that respecting the opinions of others is expected conduct of members of the Harvard Community and that repeated offenses will be taken seriously,” the e-mail read.

The Faculty of Arts and Sciences issued a resolution in 1971 guaranteeing the right of free speech. The Handbook for Students upholds “a community ideally characterized by free expression,” and cases involving the removal or vandalism of posters may be reviewed by the Administrative Board.

“It would be up to each House Master if and how they wished to convey that message,” Kidd told the Crimson in an e-mail yesterday. She did not specifically mention Right to Life in her request of the Houses.

Over the weekend, Lowell House Senior Tutor John L. Ellison sent an e-mail—similar to one he sent last year in response to the “Natalie” poster controversy—to the residents of Lowell asking them to respect every person’s freedom of speech. The members of an academic community must value the expression of ideas, even and especially controversial ones, he said, expressing concern that students were removing posters they found disagreeable or offensive. Students do not have the right to censor one another, he stated, and Harvard must be open to the free exchange of ideas.

Because Ellison’s e-mail did not cite any specific incidents, some Lowell residents deleted it in confusion.

“I had no idea what he’s talking about, and it didn’t apply to me, so I just deleted it,” said Bill Cocks ’06, a Lowell resident.

Kevin O’Keefe ’04 said that most of the people he knew “just brushed it aside.” Some students guessed the e-mail was related to the anti-abortion posters.

“That’s what I’d assumed because it was an issue last year,” said Jacquelyn A. Cronin ’04, another Lowell resident, referring to the “Natalie” poster vandalism last year.

Ellison declined to comment on his e-mail.

HRL reacted to Kidd’s initiative and Ellison’s message to Lowell House with approval.

“If a House Master or tutor sent out an e-mail saying not to tear down posters, that’s good enough for us,” Tapia said.

Some HRL students, though, were more skeptical about the effectiveness of e-mail.