Class Marshall Proposes Gift Boycott

Senior class fund-raising volunteers celebrated the opening of the senior class gift drive last night with a catered dinner at the Kennedy School, and a speech from journalist George A. Plimpton '48.

At the same time, a member of the senior class committee circulated a series of resolutions calling for a boycott of the non-scholarship half of the gift until the university changes its policies on investment in corporations working in South Africa, and supports full corporate withdrawal.

Michael R. Eastman '79, a senior class marshall and member of the committee, said yesterday his resolutions, which also call for a boycott of the University's $250 million capital fund drive, will go before the committee on Thursday.

"This is an opportunity for the senior class to take a concrete stand," Eastman said yesterday.

Brian S. Petrovek. Harvard College Fund liason for the senior gift drive, said yesterday the drive aims to get contribution from at least half the senior class, but has no specific monetary goal.

Seniors in each House wvll begin asking their classmates for contributions Thursday, Petrovek said.

He added that the gift money helps fund undergraduate education, including financial aid and the tutorial program.

Petrovek was unavailable for comment on the boycott resolution.

Last spring, a Southern Africa Solidarity Committee-sponsored boycott of the senior gift substantially damaged the drive--which received contributions from only about 30 per cent of the class, instead of the hoped-for 50 per cent.

In past years the gift fund has netted about $45,000 from the combined Harvard and Radcliffe graduating classes, pledged to be given over a four-year period. This year the gift fund will ask for pledges covering one year only, since Harvard's capital drive will likely begin next year.

Plimpton told the assembled seniors, who were sipping white wine and liqueur, to pledge an "extraordinary gift" of a billion dollars--"there's no way for them to collect."

Alternately he proposed that the seniors hand President Bok a statement to read at Commencement announcing that they would divide up Harvard's $1.4 billion endowment among themselves and Harvard alumni.