President Bok Featured in TV Spot Honoring Constitution's Anniversary

President Derek C. Bok may be on sabbatical, but his presence is still felt here, at least electronically.

Bok discussed the merits of democracy on national television Friday night in a minute-long segment about the Constitution.

"I'm Derek Bok, President of Harvard University," the segment begins. "Many of the framers of the Constitution were sceptical of democracy. The aristocratic Alexander Hamilton, for one, feared that the people could be easily swayed."

Bok continues, "James Madison, among others, believed that the new government `would be more stable and durable if it should rest on the solid foundation of the people.' Madison's confidence in the virtues of democracy prevailed in the convention."

One of 115 minute-long briefs, the segment was part of CBS' "We the People" special series in honor of the bicentennial anniversary of the Constitution.

Every weeknight at 8:58 p.m., most of the CBS affiliate television stations air 60-second speeches about the Constitution by prominent Americans, ranging from former Speaker of the House Thomas P. "Tip" O'Neill to Linda Brown Smith, the plaintiff in "Brown vs. Board of Education."

However, WNEV-TV, Channel 7, CBS' Boston affiliate has chosen to air only spots taped by Boston-area people.

The segments began to appear last October, and each spot will appear twice during the year-long series. Bok is the second person from Harvard to appear.

Civil liberties expert Alan M. Dershowitz, Professor of Law, discussed Clarence Gideon's suit for a court-appointed lawyer in a spot which aired November 14.

Both the Bok and Dershowitz segments will be rebroadcast some time before September although definite dates have not been set, said Phyllis Bosworth, who produced "We the People."

The "We the People" series is a direct descendant of CBS' Bicentential Minutes which aired in 1976, Bosworth said.

The speakers all received $100 honoraria for their minute-long performances on "We the People," she said.