May Accuses 20 at Sit-in Of Violation of Rights; Hearings Start Next Week

Dean May filed written complaints yesterday against 20 Harvard and Radcliffe students, charging them with having violated the Resolution on Rights and Responsibilities during a sit-in in his office in University Hall last Wednesday.

Three-member panels of the Committee on Rights and Responsibilities-which was created by the Faculty last September to handle disciplinary cases involving interference with Univeristy activities-will begin closed hearings early next week to determine the facts of each case.

The demonstrators were demanding that the University promote its painters helpers and that 20 per cent of the labor force of Harvard construction sites be "blacks or third-world" workers.

At one point, some demonstrators linked arms and prevented May from leaving his office. May then warned the group that they were "forcefully interfering with [his] freedom of movement and obstructing the normal processes and activities" of the University-both violations of the Resolution on Rights and Responsibilities.

James Q. Wilson, professor of Government and chairman of the Committee, declined last night to identify any of those charged in the complaints, to say what the exact charges against them are, or to say if any had disciplinary records.

Wilson said he did not know how many of those charged are Harvard students, and how many are Radcliffe students.

Wilson also said that officials in May's office have told him that the Committee "might receive some more" complaints in connection with the incident. "I infer that they're not sure about some of the identification," he said.

Archie C. Epps, assistant dean of the College, said yesterday afternoon that all information on the complaints would have to come from Wilson.

The whole Committee on Rights and Responsibilities-three Faculty members, three students, two seniors tutors, and one member of the Administrative board ofthe Graduate School of Arts and Sciences met for an hour and a half yesterday to discuss the scheduling of the preliminary hearings.

Wilson will notify each of the students of the complaints against him and of the date of his hearing by letter today. Because students must receive five-days notice of the hearings, none will be held until next week.