Faculty to Consider ROTC Today But Probably Won't Make Decision

Representatives of six Harvard organizations argued over the rate of ROTC here at a panel discussion in Lowell Lecture Hall last night.

At the meeting, sponsored by the Harvard Political Union, an audience of about 75 listened to speakers from the HUC, the SFAC and the HPC defend their organizations' proposals for a reduction in the status of ROTC which would nonetheless allow the units to remain on campus in some form. Speakers from SDS argued that Harvard should abolish ROTC outright, while representatives of YPSL supported a student referendum on the question, as has been suggested by Seymour Martin Lipset, professor of Government and Social Relations.

Speaking for the SDS position, Alan Gilbert characterized his group's opposition to ROTC as "explicitly political." He said that SDS "has no intention of abridging the civil liberties of Harvard students; this is just not the fundamental issue here."

"What ROTC is doing is just bad," said Kathy Kaufer '69, also of SDS. "Not bad as a matter of opinion, but just bad."

David Guberman '71, a member of YPSL, called the SDS plan to ban ROTC from Harvard "anti-democratic and anti-civil-libertarian." Answering charges that the YPSL referendum proposal is unacceptable because it does not include a choice of complete abolition of ROTC, Guberman said that "such a position does not deserve to be on the ballot. It is a fundamental characteristic of a civil liberty," he continued, "that if it is subject to a vote, it is not a civil liberty."

Another backer of the YPSL referndum plan, Henry D. Fetter '71, said that a confrontation similar to the Dow demonstration of last year could result if student opinion is not channeled into peaceful means of expression. He concluded with a prediction that "democracy will prevail."

The referendum proposal was criticized by several other speakers, however. Kenneth M. Glazier '69, a member of the SFAC, argued that the YPSL referendum was unsatisfactory because it excluded the SDS petition and because it was not to be binding on the Faculty. Glazier also said that such referenda tend to undermine the various representative organizations at Harvard.

Lance Lindblom '70, a member of the HUC, charged that student referendums are always powerless. "Let's not delude ourselves," he said. "Let's deal with the power processes as they are actually set up."

David Frost, a graduate student who is enrolled in Army ROTC, asked to speak at the conclusion of the speakers' opening statementis. "If you agree with SDS that I'm being immoral when I join ROTC, Frost told the meeting, "then I might as well not talk to you."