Officials Will Not Decide Engelhard Question Soon

The Corporation is not likely to take any action on changing the name of the Engelhard Library for more than a month, if at all, despite a poll showing 52 per cent of the College's student body favoring renaming the library, Corporation officials said yesterday.

"It's not a dead issue, it's just not a very lively one," George Putnam '49, Harvard treasurer, said yesterday.

Putnam said that the issue was very unlikely to come up before President Bok returns from a three-week Florida vacation that began yesterday.

Bok, who declined to comment last night, said last week that he doubted the Corporation will ever vote on changing the name, adding that he would prefer to see Kennedy School officials draw up a policy on gifts, instead of looking at such questions on an "ad hoc basis."

Daniel Steiner '54, general counsel to the University, said last night that "while there might be a report on the student poll at the Corporation's next meeting, no decision is imminent."

The report, if it is made, may come from Hugh Calkins '45, head of the Sub-committee on Shareholder Responsibility. "It's all very tentative, though," Steiner said, adding, "I doubt very much if any action will be taken" before Bok returns.

Student groups have called for the name change because they say the late Charles W. Engelhard, whose foundation donated the money for the public policy library, supported the apartheid system in South Africa by his heavy investment in mines there.

One Corporation meeting is scheduled before Bok returns, and another the day after he returns. "It probably won't be discussed at either of those," Putnam said. The next meeting of the Corporation will not be until late February, and even then "there may be more important problems to consider," Putnam said.

Several Corporation officials are on record as doubting that the newly released student poll will persuade any of them to consider, much less change their minds, on the renaming issue.

"I very seriously doubt the poll will mean anything," John M. Blum '43, a Corporation fellow, said yesterday.

Blum added that "in mathematical terms," the 52 per cent majority is "not a significant figure."

Putnam agreed that "the poll doesn't necessarily mean anything will be changed," but added that he considered the results "a perfectly accurate gauge of student opinion. I think everyone already knew how the students felt."

Calkins said last week that the vote did not necessarily mean the question would end up on the Corporation docket.

Calkins had earlier said that if a majority of students favored the name change, the question would be added to the fellows' agenda. After the poll was released, Calkins said, "I don't know whether I or other Corporation members will regard this poll as indicating that the majority of students want the name changed or the money returned."

Blum said that if the Corporation ever considers changing the name, "President Bok will have to put it on the agenda."

Two other Corporation fellows, Robert Shenton and Charles P. Slichter '45, refused to comment yesterday on the issue.