Assoc. Dean Will Report On South Africa Journey

A Graduate School dean who journeyed to South Africa two weeks ago to investigate ways of spending the University's $1 million South African aid fund, said yesterday he has returned from his voyage with strong impressions but no concrete plan for using the funds.

Although Associate Dean of the School of Education Jerome T. Murphy said he has "several Well-defined ideas in mind" for the year old fund, he added he was "reluctant to go into the details" of the plan because he has not yet discussed them with University officials.

While in South Africa, Murphy examined the feasibility of a variety educational exchange programs between Harvard and Black South African schools.

Meanwhile, the Southern Africa Solidarity Committee (SASC) announced it will publish an independent report on how Harvard can most effectively use the funds to help Blacks in South Africa.

Siddhartha Mitter '89, one of the SASC members writing the report, said the report "is not meant to compete with Murphy's report," but rather, to provide additional information to the University.

Murphy said his 14-day trip increased his understanding of the situation in South Africa. "It is a much more complicated, difficult situation than I had anticipated," Murphy said.

"I'm guardedly hopeful we can come up with an acceptable, low profile project," said Murphy, who returned from his trip Saturday. Murphy's trip comes one year after leading Black South Africans criticized one of the first programs proposed by Harvard for use of the aid funds established by President Bok in September, 1985.

Murphy talked with a broad range of educators and Black political leaders in Capetown, Durban and Johannesburg about the proposals, he said. In addition, he spoke with white educators, including faculty at Stellenbosh University, an Afrikaans school in Capetown.

Murphy said the trip was the first step in aplan to implement a program which would match theneeds of South Africans with University professorsand programs that could fulfill those needs.

The dean emphasized that the program will aidBlack South African education. "We will not beusing the money to support the status quo. We willbe focusing on black education problems indisadvantaged neighborhoods," he said.

Education School Dean Patricia A. Graham setthe wheels of Murphy's trip in motion lastSeptember after President Bok left it up to thedeans of the university's professional schools tostructure the program.

The Ed School dean said he will meet with thesub-committee on South African affairs thisFriday, and talk to other University committeesand organizations in coming weeks.

SASC's report, which will probably be releasedlater sometime this month, will address the sameissues Murphy examined on his trip to SouthAfrica, focusing on how Harvard should spend themillion-dollar fund, Mitter said.

Although Mitter refused to discuss the detailsof the report, which has only been outlined, hesaid it would probably condemn internship programslike the one Harvard attempted last year