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At a general meeting yesterday, about 100 teaching fellows overwhelmingly approved the formation of the Harvard Teaching Fellows Union (HTFU).
Claiming that the University is not neutral with respect to society, the charter states that. "The HTFU shall defend and augment those aspects of the University which constitute its being a center of humanistic learning and shall actively oppose those aspects which contribute to what is oppressive in our society."
There are approximately 900 teaching fellows in the University.
The HTFU charter lists reforms that the HTFU will work for. They are:
"the termination of all military-related and counter-insurgeney research and other misuse of the University."
"the radical restructuring of the University, including major reform of both graduate and undergraduate education."
"a guaranteed decent income for all graduate students."
"an end to repression and discrimination by the University against students and workers and abolition of repressive bodies such as the CRR."
Yesterday's meeting was called by an ad hoe steering committee formed last week by an open meeting of the teaching fellows. At that meeting the teaching fellows tentatively voted to form a permanent union and to appoint a steering committee to draft a charter.
Bruce Smith. a teaching fellow in Soe Rel and a spokesman for the HTFU, said yesterday, "We will go through thelegistative channels to be recognized by Harvard as the official bargaining agent for all teaching fellows, but we will begin functioning immediately-irrespective of that recognition."
"We believe we can get at least 50 per cent of the teaching fellows to join the union as we pursue radical policies," Harriet Berkowitz, a teaching fellow in Soc Rel and a member of the steering committee said last night.
The next union meeting, for all present and prospective teaching fellows, will be next Wednesday. The constitution will be voted upon and election of officers will take place at that time.
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