Div Students Hold Church Prayer Vigil

Seeking to advance the candidacy of Archbishop Desmond M. Tutu to Harvard's Board of Overseers, about 15 Divinity School students yesterday declared "sanctuary" in Memorial Church, saying they planned to spend two days fasting and praying there.

The students, who are calling on the University to divest of its $163 million in South Africa-related investments, spent the day in the Appleton Chapel singing religious songs, praying, talking and listening to speeches. They were initially accompanied by local union organizers, clergy and undergraduates.

After launching their protest at the end of the 8:45 a.m. morning prayer service, student leaders negotiated an agreement with the Memorial Church administration, which will allow the demonstrators to remain unmolested in the building until Sunday.

"We forthrightly denounce any theological justification for the policy of apartheid and any University policy which directly or indirectly lends legitimacy to such oppression," reads the "statement of purpose" for the group--called the Peace Community. "With prayer and fasting, we call for new avenues of moral leadership at this institution."

Tutu, a Nobel laureate and prominent opponent of South Africa's apartheid policy, is running for the Overseers on a divestment slate sponsored by the Harvard-Radcliffe Alumni Against Apartheid. In several visits to Harvard, Tutu has called on the University to divest and recently said he would give back his 1979 honorary degree if the investment policies were not changed.

While the divinity students main- tained their vigil, more than 500 peoplegathered just across the Tercentary Theater fromMemorial Church to remember the 20th anniversaryof the student takeover of University Hall.

Div School student Jon Rehmus spoke at therally representing the vigil participants, andothers who had come back to Harvard for theanniversary visited Appleton Chapel off and onthroughout the day.

Protesters said their nonconfrontationaltactics were grounded in their faith and were thekey to their attempts at using moral persuasion tochange the University's policy. Several studentssaid they had been influenced by liberationtheology, which views the Bible as a radical textgiving hope to the oppressed.

"Sure, we're doing liberation theology here inCambridge. Sure we are. We don't have anoppressive government to overthrow, but we have anoppressive policy to overthrow," said PhilStolzfus, a Div School student.

Despite the activism inside and in front of MemChurch, everyday activities in the building seemedto continue as normal. Business went on in thebuilding's basement offices, and a 9:30 a.m.session of "Focus on the Family" for young mothersand their toddlers went off without a hitch.

And when two men arrived to tune the chapel'spipe organ early in the afternoon, vigilparticipants moved outside to the steps in frontof the building to escape the grating noise.

The students said one of the specificinstigations for their action was Divinity SchoolDean Ronald Thiemann's refusal to publicly call onthe University to divest.

But a spokesperson for Thiemann said yesterdaythat the student action was not likely to changeThiemann's stand.

"I think he'll keep his statements within theadministrative council--the council of thedeans--and direct to the president, which is notto say that he is not conscious about apartheidand racism and issues in South Africa," said thespokesperson.

Today, the vigil participants hope that ThomasProfessor of Divinity Harvey G. Cox and formerDivinity School Dean Krister T. Stendahl willvisit the protest, said Stoltzfus. Cox said in aninterview that he supported the student's actionsand would probably visit them this weekend.

Stoltzus added that one of today's 20thanniversary workshops on activism might be held inthe chapel.

The only major question mark in the agreementbetween the protesters and Memorial Churchofficials is how much of a role the students willtake in Sunday morning's regular service. Churchofficials have said they will insert text into theservice's bulletin about the group, while severalstudents said they should have time to speak.

Aaron Milbank contributed to the reportingof this story.PhotoMichael KoehlerDivinity School student PHIL STOLTZFUS tookcalls yesterday in Memorial Church.