The Bok Alternative

During his 12 years in office, President Bok's most widely publicized statements about South Africa have primarily been his defense of the University's refusal to divest from companies conducting business in South Africa. In two separate open letters on the subject, Bok has presented the University's logic in opposing divestiture, which his most recent open letter last month called "a costly and ineffective way of lighting apartheid."

Yet in his second open letter Bok also included a defense of what he says in the University's sincere commitment to ending apartheid in South Africa. He pointed in particular to his own pet project the funding of scholarships for South African Blacks to study in American colleges and universities. These scholarships are administered by two separate programs which were begun in the late 1970s.

While Bok has receives widespread praise for his work in expanding these nascent arrangements national anti apartheid groups criticize his contention that the programs area a substitute for as opposed to a complement to other actions such as divestiture.

Bok serves as the national board chairman for the first project, the South African Education Programs (SAEP), which brings South African Blacks to American universities for four-year undergraduates programs. Funded by the Agency for International Development (AID), corporations, foundations and by the universities themselves SAEP matches up colleges who have offered places with qualified students. The bi-racial selection committee, headed by the Rev. Desmond Tutu Secretary General of the South African Council of Churches, picks from over 900 applicants. Once those chosen receives visas usually a formality they are sent to the U.S. for a two-week orientation session before starting school SAEP which is an offshoot of the Institute of International Education in New York City, is the primary organization for South African-U.S. student scholarships. Beginning with six students in 1979-80 the program has expanded up to next year's 160 students as funding has increased to its current $5 million annual budget.

Bok joined the national board of SAEP just after its inception in 1980, and members credit him with raising corporate funds that are traditionally difficult to obtain and securing a $2.7 million annual grant from AID. "Federal funds hang by a thread and corporate sponsors are not easy to find," says Donald Stewart, president of predominantly Black Spelman College and a member of the SAEP board. "Bok has been very helpful in getting that kind of support."

U.S. Corporations that do business in South Africa are among the biggest sponsors of the scholarship program. More than 30 companies with South African interests contribute to the SAEP. Jarvis Fremann, a senior public affairs advisor at Exxon and a member of the SAEP board, says that his company contributes because the program is "a worthy undertaking that addresses a real need in South Africa," and not, he insists, to "salve our consciences."

"The idea of the program is to bring the students out of a country where they have limited educational opportunities and bring them to a first-rate American university where they are exposed to a freer society and pick up important skills," David Smock, director of the SAEP says.

The president's second project is more home-grown. Dipping into a general Corporation discretionary fund. Bok instituted a program for three mid-career Black South African students which allow them to spend a year studying at Harvard. Also in the fourth year, this in-house Harvard arrangement, which is administered by Cabot Professor of English Alan Heimert, costs the University approximately $25,000 per student each year.

Heimert says that because the fellowships is for one year, the racially mixed South African Selection committee, which along with Heimert, makes the final decision from more than 100 applicants tries to select students who will benefit most from a one year master program. The most popular program for the students is the 13-week advanced management course at the Business School which just under hall of them have chosen. Heimert adds that while the SAEP emphasizes the sciences, the Harvard program looks for middle level businessmen. In particular he would like in the future to include more education administrators who will in turn use their education to help educate other South Africans.

"We look for people for whom a year of Harvard education it is assumed will enrich and enhance their further work." Heimert says, adding, "For those people the assumption has proved correct."

Although no students in either program would speak on the record fearing reprisals from the South African government, results of a private national conference of SAEP students earlier this year revealed a wide variety of viewpoints toward American higher education. Along with complaints that Americans are too grade-conscious and that there is a surprising amount of racism in the U.S. the students also found that the college dorms are often too noisy to concentrate and the American accents of professors are sometimes difficult to understand.

Bok has said that these programs are the primary way that a university like Harvard can best address "the terrible state of affairs" in South Africa. "A university should in a way compatibly with its mission try to make a constructive effort to solve the problems of the world," instead of relying on "negative, ineffective ways like fiddling around in stock," Bok said in an interview last month.

Bok decided after talking to Black South African leaders in the late '70s that the scholarships were an area in which Harvard and could make a difference in affecting political, change and preparing Blacks to eventually rule the country.

"The power and influence of Black people has got to rise and the need to take responsibility will increase." Bok says, adding, "I guess I would predict that the government in South African has got to change. Whether it changes violently or peacefully there will be a need for a well trained work force."

An aide to Rep. Steven Solarz (D-N.Y), the congressman responsible for the Agency for International Development fund legislation, says Solarz supports Bok's scholarship initiatives. But he adds that Solarz, while opposing divestiture, has introduced a bill prohibiting any new investment in South Africa, an action the congressman believes would be an effective way of putting pressure on the government without harming Black workers now employed in U.S. factories.

But other groups argue that divestiture should still be used as a weapons against South African government alone with the scholarship program Painting to the massive lobbying attempts by South Africans in the U.S. against divestiture movements Gail Hovey, research director of American Committee on Africa says. I don't think that anyone can argue with the education of Black South Africans but one must consider the environment they are going back to Divestments is a more powerful force to change that than just helping a few individuals." Anti apartheid groups are also concerned that the programs only apply to students who are based in South Africa without considering student refugees in neighboring countries or abroad who were forced out of South Africa after the student riots in 1976. However proponents of the programs say there are other programs to help these refugees.

Some divestiture proponents even disagree with the whole idea of bringing students over because in their view the scholarships legitimize the South African system and cloud the issue by making a token gesture.

Ulrich Ruch, a spokesman for the South African consulate in New York, says that "if we were against the program we would actively stop it," but denies that there are any educational inequities in his country. He declined to elaborate.

"A university should in a way compatible with its mission try to make a constructive effort to solve the problems of the world" instead of relying on "negative, ineffective ways like fiddling around in stock," says President Bok.