Students Divided on Thomas Nomination

With only one day remaining until the scheduled vote to confirm Clarence Thomas to the Supreme Court, many Harvard students yesterday remained as divided as the rest of the nation.

In dining halls and dorm rooms, conversations centered on whether Thomas or his accuser, Professor Anita Hill, has been telling the truth in Senate committee hearings. And, perhaps more importantly, on whether charges of sexual harassment should have been investigated before the Judiciary Committee made its recommendation about Thomas.

Terri L. James, a third year student at Harvard Law School posted a sign on the wall in Harkness Commons, asking, "Do you believe Anita Hill?"

James said she plans to circulate a petition in support of Hill, which she will then fax to Washington.

"It grew out of my outrage," she said. "The administration has based his entire confirmation on his character, and that character has been cast into doubt by a very credible witness."

Other students avoided judging the truth of Hill's allegations, and instead criticized the actions--and inactions--of the Judiciary Committee.

Ivan J. Dominguez '92 called the process "sad."

"The vote in the Senate will be received by the American public as nothing more than a tribunal...passing judgement without any modicum of legal parameters guiding their proceedings," Dominguez said.

Gayle K. Turk '94 said that, since the evidence about sexual harassment is inconclusive, senators "should divorce the sexual harassment issue from the process."

Some Harvard students were quite forthcoming in their support for Thomas. James White '95 and Keith A. Levy '95 said they doubted Hill's motives since she waited 10 years to come forth with her allegations.

"I believe someone went to Hill and convinced her to come forward," said Levy.

White said Hill may have acted irresponsibly in waiting until now to come forward. "She had an obligation to report it when it happened, and didn't," White said.

Aretha D. Davis '93 said Hill would have had no reason to testify had her charges been untrue.

"I find it hard to believe that such an intelligent, strong woman would make false charges and put herself through this," Davis said. "She has everything to lose."

Davis said that Thomas was the one who acted irresponsibly during the hearings when he "cried that racism was the force behind this, even though it is an African-American woman who is making the charges against him."

Levy said that there was "some degree of racial overtones involved [in the hearings]," although he said he did not believe racism to be the main cause of Thomas's troubles.

"He supposedly called himself 'Long Dong Silver'," Levy said, "and this sterotype was originated not by Blacks but by whites." The name Long Dong Silver refers to the title character in a pornographic movie which Hill said Thomas told her about.

James, however, said she thought another stereotype was being used against Hill by Republican senators.

"They are implying that if I, as a Black woman, make an accusation against a prominent man, I must be crazy," James said