B.U. President Denies Charges Of Bribery at Grad Schools

Boston University (B.U.) President John R. Silber denied yesterday that the university has solicited bribes from students applying to the B.U. Law and Medical Schools.

In a story that appeared Tuesday, "the b.u. exposure," a B.U. student newspaper, claimed that Silber had urged the B.U. board of trustees to adopt a policy of charging Law and Medical students large sums of money in order to be accepted.

The story also stated that Louis Rosenfield, a member of the board, had charged one applicant $50,000 in order to gain admission to the Law School.

The "exposure" story said that, during a 1973 meeting of the B.U. Board of Trustees Select Committee on University Needs, Silber said, "There have been any number of people crawling all over me for admission to our Medical School and our Law School who have not been tapped systematically for a gift to this university. I'm not ashamed to sell those indulgences."

At a press conference yesterday, Silber said the "exposure" story is a "sensational frame-up," adding, "Our admissions are not for sale; never have been, never will be."

Silber said his statement during the board of trustees meeting was a joke. "You can't explain a joke," he added.

Rosenfield recommended a student for admission to the B.U. Law School, Silber said, adding that after the student was accepted, Rosenfield solicited funds from the student's family.

Silber said B.U. would be pleased if entering students were discovered to have come from wealthy families after admission, and added the admissions committees for B.U.'s schools determine which applicants will be admitted without knowing the applicants' financial abilities.

Rosenfield could not be reached for comment yesterday.