Kirklnd House Adds Support To ACSR Boycott Movement

The Kirkland House Committee joined five other Houses and the Freshman Council in voting to support the Undergraduate Committee on Harvard dergraduate Committee on Harvard Shareholder Responsibility (UCHSR) in its boycott of the Advisory Committee on Shareholder Relations (ACSR).

Archie C. Epps III, dean of students, said last night he told the committee that "to boycott would disenfranchise the student body." He added, "the issue of South African investments is a complex and compelling one, and I favor constructive participation rather than walking away from the complexities."

After some disucssion, the committee voted 16-8 in favor of the boycott. "Even people who voted against the boycott agreed that the ACSR has problems. They thought the boycott might not be the best way to solve them," John P. Zavez '80, UCHSR representative to the committee, said last night.

UCHSR has proposed a package of reforms to ACSR policy which the Currier, North, Lowell and Dunster House committees and the Freshman Council already have voted to support. Leverett House gave a general vote of support to its UCHSR members, and Winthrop voted against adapting the reforms.

The Kirkland House Committee voted specifically to support the boycott, and did not discuss the reforms extensively, Zavez said.

Under the proposed reforms, the ACSR would announce its agenda before each meeting, and open these meetings to the community. The reforms would also provide for worker representation on the ACSR and ensure that all members are appointed democratically.