Imperatives

To the Editors of The Crimson:

Re: Paul W. Green's editorial of October 16 ("Hiding Behind Veritas"). One can only assume, after reading this lengthy diatribe, that the price of newsprint is going down. Mr. Green's article, covering half a page, is so full of generalities and shallow reasoning that it is almost surprising to see it on the pages of the Crimson.

It is clear that since the sixties the American university has become a major forum for public opinion and its expression. Harvard, as an institution which studies many facets of modern society in great depth, has a perfect right to express its findings and opinions to the world. It has an obligation to do so. Who better than the students and teachers of Harvard to employ this right? It is risky, of course, to use the word "right" so freely. By putting this word in quotations, as well as "worthy," "making a statement," "moral," and "consciousness," Mr. Green throws suspicion on anyone who uses these words with good intent.

The editorial blatantly criticizes taking a moral position and labelling it as such. It is a moral stand to criticize President Reagan's efforts to cut financial aid, and a good enough reason to deny him an honorary degree at any university (where are the students who support cuts in financial aid, as Mr. Green cites?) It is a moral stand to support divestment, to criticize Harvard's clumsy and avaricious rent policies, and to object to research restrictions.

It cannot be denied that these statements often have political intent and effect. They start out, however, as moral stands--as students, professors, and Cambridge residents realize that "rights" are being violated, and that something must be said. The individual opinions of Harvard scientists, for example, are their own personal opinions. If they choose to use them for political pressure, there is every reason to speak from the position and institution they represent professionally. Their attempts to convince fellow researchers of the rightness of their beliefs in no way constitute political subterfuge, as Mr. Green would have us believe. Moral opinions are the basis of many, if not all, political movements, and the fact that Mr. Green is not of the same political leanings as those he criticizes does not make their moral standards any less legitimate.

Mr. Green points out at the end of his article that Harvard students often misuse the Harvard name and its power. This does not mean it should remain unused. Moral opinion demands a forum, and the university serves well for socially and politically "conscious" students. It should. A university cannot be a place where morals and opinions go into hibernation, and neither Harvard not its students can hide from this simple fact: A university is represented by the members it has chosen. Edward B. Hodgman '86