BSA Council Presents Demands For Higher Black Admissions

The Black Students Association (BSA) will submit a letter to the Harvard-Radcliffe Admissions Office today demanding that the number of black students accepted for the Class of '84 exceed the number accepted for the Class of '83, Eugene J. Green '80, president of the BSA, said yesterday.

Green said yesterday that the Admissions Office has announced a decrease in the total number of students admitted to the incoming class and "too many times that points to Black students."

In the letter which was discussed and endorsed at a BSA Executive Board meeting, Green said that the BSA's concern rises from the fact that "since 1972 the number of black students has incrreased by only approximately 12 per cent of its 1972 total."

Constance L. Rice '78, an admission officer, said yesterday the admissions office has not yet received the letter, but added that she shares the BSA's concerns about the number of black students at Harvard.

"I'm glad to see that students are putting the heat on us. I except students to react if there is a decline in the number of black students," Rice said.

However, Rice said she disagreed with Green's statement that a decrease in the total size of the Class of '84 may disproportionately affect blacks.

Rice said there is no way of predicting the number of black students in any class on the basis of the total size of the class "because we consider each case individually."

"We don't play a numbers game, and it's really too early to make any definite statements about the Class of 1984," she added.

Green said the BSA will intensify its efforts this year to encourage admitted black students to attend the college.

Recruitment tactics discussed at the Board Meeting included sending personal letters from undergraduates to prospective students, a recruiting phone blitz during the week after the admissions office sends out its decisions, and continued participation in the Third World Prefreshman Weekend.

The Board also discussed a previous decision to approach the Corporation with a proposal for a full day University-wide holiday in memory of Martin Luther King, Jr.

"We feel that Harvard's action regarding Martin Luther King's birthday will have a definite impact on the national movement to make it a national holiday and we will approach the Corporation with that in mind," Green said yesterday