Protesting Law Students Get Boost From Jackson

As the deadline set by Harvard Law School students for Dean Robert C. Clark's written explanation drew to a close, the Rev. Jesse L. Jackson yesterday threw his support behind the student activists.

Clark submitted a three page letter defending the Law School's minority hiring record, citing recent attempts to employ two minority and two women professors.

But students yesterday called the statement inadequate, saying more action is needed.

"The dean has to show more than mere promises," said Keith O. Boykin, a third-year student who wrote the original letter to Clark on behalf of the Coalition for Civil Rights demanding a specific plan for faculty diversification.

Controversy over discrimination in Law School faculty hiring has appeared on several fronts in recent years.

The Coalition for Civil Rights--a group of six minority student organizations and the Women's Law Association--is currently awaiting a decision from the Supreme Judicial Court of Massachusetts on whether students have the standing to sue their school for discrimination.

And Weld Professor of Law Derrick A. Bell Jr. recently announced his decision to ask the University for one more year of unpaid leave. Bell went on leave in April 1990, threatening not to return until the Law School hired a Black woman. President Neil L. Rudenstine said last week that Bell's request could not be granted.

Coalition members are also upset about the recent offer of tenure to four white male professors, two of whom are visiting scholars. Students claimed the school is violating a policy stating that visiting scholars can be considered for tenure only once they have left the school.

The students plan tomorrow to ask Dean Clark for regularly scheduled meetings with him and for a meeting with the appointments committee or the full faculty, according to first-year Julie A. Su.

Su said the coalition members also want a student on the appointments committee and "a little more creativity" from the dean.

Law students were concerned the dean was limiting the search to white women, said Su. She said they would ask him to look more closely at the list of Black and Latina women the students offered earlier this year.

"They will hire white women and Black men but that's the extent," said Boykin, a coalition member. "They don't want to go any further than a few white women to appease us."

Clark said in his letter that the school will look specifically for women professors, who currently represent only five of the 62 tenured faculty at the Law School.

Although the faculty has passed a resolutionrequesting the admissions committee to produceseveral nonwhite male candidates by this fall,students said they worry that the list will notmaterialize.

And the protests will continue, according toJohn H. Bonifaz, a thrid-year student andcoalition member. "The school is still in a crisissituation," Bonifaz said, adding that today'srequest is simply part of the struggle.

In the letter, Clark gave a record of hiringduring his term as dean, citing that one-third ofthose offered tenure or tenure-track positionswere minorities or women.

But Boykin pointed out that the minority andwomen candidates were not given "full-fledgedprofessorships," although four white men wererecently offered full tenured positions.

In addition, Clark defended the school'sdecision to offer tenure to two visiting scholars,stating that last spring the admissions committeevoted to overturn the policy.

Student activists argued, however, that thepolicy was used last year to deny tenure to twoBlack women and that it was rather timely that theprocedure was overturned before these tenureoffers.

"I don't think he wants diversity to be the toppriority," Boykin said.

Jesse Jackson

More than 450 students and faculty packed intoAmes Courtroom yesterday afternoon to hear Jacksongive his support to Bell and the Coalition forCivil Rights activists.

Jackson compared Bell to other great civilrights leaders, like Martin Luther King Jr. andNelson Mandela. Jackson also praised AssistantProfessor of Law Charles J. Ogletree, Jr. forsupporting Anita Hill during the Clarence Thomasconfirmation hearings.

"I have known great men and women who by theirsacrifices...have carried the human family toanother level," Jackson said. "Dr. Derrick Bell isin that class," he said.

Jackson referred to what' students say is alack of diversity as "apartheid in the Law Schoolfaculty at Harvard."

Jackson also spoke specifically on the lack ofBlack women on the Law School faculty. "You lookamong you and say you are equal, but there is acertain specimen among you...less likely to gettenure because you are a Black woman," he said.

The president of the Rainbow Coalition said hewould support the students in their efforts butwarned the road might be hard. "You must beprepared for litigation, demonstration and evenjail," he said.

"If you escalate the struggle count on me to bewith you," Jackson said.

Discrimination 'A Disease'

The former Democratic presidential candidate,who placedPresident Bush in the same category as Patrick J.Buchanan and David Duke, called discrimination "adisease."

Jackson also said he did not thinkdiscrimination was limited to Harvard but existedthroughout the United States.

At the end of his speech, Jackson called on thestudents to register to vote in Massachusetts,saying "You cannot complain about Bush, Buchananand Duke if you do not use your vote to fightback.

Although the faculty has passed a resolutionrequesting the admissions committee to produceseveral nonwhite male candidates by this fall,students said they worry that the list will notmaterialize.

And the protests will continue, according toJohn H. Bonifaz, a thrid-year student andcoalition member. "The school is still in a crisissituation," Bonifaz said, adding that today'srequest is simply part of the struggle.

In the letter, Clark gave a record of hiringduring his term as dean, citing that one-third ofthose offered tenure or tenure-track positionswere minorities or women.

But Boykin pointed out that the minority andwomen candidates were not given "full-fledgedprofessorships," although four white men wererecently offered full tenured positions.

In addition, Clark defended the school'sdecision to offer tenure to two visiting scholars,stating that last spring the admissions committeevoted to overturn the policy.

Student activists argued, however, that thepolicy was used last year to deny tenure to twoBlack women and that it was rather timely that theprocedure was overturned before these tenureoffers.

"I don't think he wants diversity to be the toppriority," Boykin said.

Jesse Jackson

More than 450 students and faculty packed intoAmes Courtroom yesterday afternoon to hear Jacksongive his support to Bell and the Coalition forCivil Rights activists.

Jackson compared Bell to other great civilrights leaders, like Martin Luther King Jr. andNelson Mandela. Jackson also praised AssistantProfessor of Law Charles J. Ogletree, Jr. forsupporting Anita Hill during the Clarence Thomasconfirmation hearings.

"I have known great men and women who by theirsacrifices...have carried the human family toanother level," Jackson said. "Dr. Derrick Bell isin that class," he said.

Jackson referred to what' students say is alack of diversity as "apartheid in the Law Schoolfaculty at Harvard."

Jackson also spoke specifically on the lack ofBlack women on the Law School faculty. "You lookamong you and say you are equal, but there is acertain specimen among you...less likely to gettenure because you are a Black woman," he said.

The president of the Rainbow Coalition said hewould support the students in their efforts butwarned the road might be hard. "You must beprepared for litigation, demonstration and evenjail," he said.

"If you escalate the struggle count on me to bewith you," Jackson said.

Discrimination 'A Disease'

The former Democratic presidential candidate,who placedPresident Bush in the same category as Patrick J.Buchanan and David Duke, called discrimination "adisease."

Jackson also said he did not thinkdiscrimination was limited to Harvard but existedthroughout the United States.

At the end of his speech, Jackson called on thestudents to register to vote in Massachusetts,saying "You cannot complain about Bush, Buchananand Duke if you do not use your vote to fightback.