New Student Leader Asks Divinity Reform

Harvard Divinity Students yesterday elected a new president for their Student Association on a platform which called for the abolition of the present administration at the Divinity School.

Steve H. Hornberger D-'70, who won 65 per cent of the student body's votes, said his proposal would eliminate all governing powers of the dean, the faculty, the Educational Policy Committee, and even the Student Association of which he is now president-elect. He outlined his specific recommendations in a statement issued last night.

Krister Stendahl, dean of the faculty of the Divinity School, and Edward Wright Jr., acting dean of students, refused to comment on the proposal until Hornberger submits it. Both said the matter was too serious to discuss until they had studied copies of the statement.

Hornberger's recommendations include the organization of:

* A six-member student-faculty cabinet which would serve as the final decision-making body of the school;

* A new set of standing committees which would report on appointments, degrees, exchange programs, lectures, etc., to the student-faculty cabinet;

* A Secretary General in place of the dean to administer all decisions and coordinate the standing committees;

* Faculty, student, staff, and alumni lobbies to represent the opinions of each of these groups to the cabinet;

* Senates for each of the four groups of lobbies, which would report the opinions of their constituents to the lobbies;

* A general forum to include everyone connected with the school. The forum would meet at least once a month and would serve as a body of discussion and recommendation.

Hornberger said he is dedicated to the enactment of the proposals and will probably resign unless they are adopted.

Black Students

In other matters at the Divinity School, more than eighty students met yesterday to discuss charges that there were "racist paternalistic assumptions" in a Divinity School committee's report on educating black clergymen.

Stendahl called the meeting after a group of black students at the school issued a statement requesting an open forum on the report. The statement objected to "the overall assumptions and tone" of the report and charged that it was unrepresentative of black student opinion.

Romney M. Moseley D-'71, spokesman for the black students, said the meeting was "the best thing that ever happened to the Harvard Divinity School." He said he was pleased that the committee members had come to a better understanding of the black viewpoint because of the meeting. The original report will be submitted to the Divinity School faculty tomorrow.