Seniors in Referendum OK Mild Commencement Plans In Show of Social Concern

A poll of Harvard seniors indicates substantial support for moderate changes in the scheduled Commencement activities.

Seniors voted three-to-one in favor of a fourth student speaker, and 61 per cent advocated Commencement fundraising for politics and peace. But only one-third objected to Stephen J. Kelman '70 as speaker, and still fewer requested a speaker who had been expelled by the CRR.

Approximately 100 seniors met on May 26 and decided to have the referendum. Three-hundred eighty-nine seniors-almost all those remaining in Cambridge-completed the questionnaires at dinner in the Houses.

Above the list of Class Committee referendum questions, a statement appeared saying that wearing armbands would be a better form of symbolic protest than not wearing caps and gowns.

Red armbands, along with contribution envelopes for political and peace-action groups, will be available after Tuesday's Bac?alaureate Service, at Wednesday's morning symposia and luncheon at Lowell House, and on Thursday at Wadsworth House in the Yard.

The Senior Class Committee has urged attendance at the candlelight peace vigil Wednesday night near the statue of John Harvard. It asked that the community regard Commencement as a ceremony "acted out under the ominous shadow of national and international conflict, suffering, and injustice."

The results of the poll hold few surprises, except perhaps on the issue of Kelman, one of three Commencement speakers chosen by faculty committee in March. After the meeting of May 26, John F. Ince '70, the first Class Marshal, expressed to President Pusey the seniors' dissatisfaction with Kelman, whose book Push Comes to Shove is critical of Harvard radicals.

In the referendum, however, only 136 indicated an objection to any of the speakers, including Kelman.

On the related question of an additional speaker who would represent the College on issues of national and international concern, there was 74 per cent approval. In a statement issued yesterday, the Senior Class Committee explained that because less than half those graduating are from the College, this fourth speaker would offer "a university-wide perspective."

The fourth speech, composed by a group of Marshals, will be delivered by James Foster, a graduating Law student, who was top oralist last winter in the Law School's Ames Competition.

The class ode will be delivered by Gilbert S. Bettman III '70, instead of by Thomas R. Elliott '70, whose ode was rejected allegedly for its political content.

Henry Greenspan '70-organizer of Thursday morning's planned "counter-commencement" which will be held at Eliot Triangle-yesterday summed up the general state of Commencement protest activities: "It's a lot like last year. The day before, everybody tries to get their heads together."