President Urges Community To Move Past Controversy

President Neil L. Rudenstine urged the Harvard community yesterday to move past the controversy surrounding Harvard Foundation Director S. Allen Counter and to begin a healing process.

Counter has apologized for a letter criticizing The Crimson which some students considered anti-Semitic, and people "should stop blaming each other" and work together again to improve race relations, Rudenstine said in an interview yesterday.

"I think that he himself recognizes that this last article was really unwise and was a mistake, and I think he has apologized for it," Rudenstine said. "And from my point of view, that is generous-spirited, and we ought to acknowledge that and work with him now to produce a better environment for all of us."

"There have to be assessments when damage is done, but there has to be an end to blame as well, and I think this is the moment to sit down and all of us stop blaming each other and see whether we can't pick up the pieces," he said.

Counter and Natosha O. Reid '93, co-chair of the Foundation's Student Advisory Committee, sparked a firestorm of controversy last week with aletter to The Crimson criticizing the newspaper'scoverage of campus race relations.

The letter said "Crimson writers active inHillel" have written extensively on Black-Jewishtensions and quotes anonymous students who say TheCrimson pursues a "racial agenda."

Hillel leaders and the Crimson editorial boardresponded forcefully, saying that the letter isoffensive and inaccurate, and that it implies thenewspaper is pro-Jewish and anti-Black. Onestudent has called for Counter's resignation, andThe Crimson wrote that Counter "should not be incharge of intercultural and race relations atHarvard" unless he retracts the statements.

Counter apologized for "any misunderstanding"caused by his letter, and has met with Hillelofficials, Dean of the College L. Fred Jewett `57and Rudenstine. He issued another statement ofapology yesterday. [see related story]

Rudenstine said Counter "has done an excellentjob" as director of the Foundation, which wascreated a decade ago to improve race relations oncampus.

At a meeting with Undergraduate Councilmembers, Rudenstine praised the Foundation'srecord under Counter.

"Most of the events that I have seen in termsof the overall record of the Foundation have beenreally very positive," he said. "And the numberwhere there have been people who have been quiteoffended, at least as far as I know, have beenquite small."

Counter should be judged by his "total trackrecord and not just any one or two particularevents," the president said.

Rudenstine called the recent controversy"unfortunate," and said that Counter "has takenthe initiative" to apologize.

"I don't enjoy seeing people being troubled. Idon't like people lashing out at each other, [but]I can understand it. It's not very helpful, Ithink," Rudenstine said after the meeting.

Rudenstine argued that since "all thosefeelings have now been expressed, it would be verygood indeed if we could step back and agree to sitdown and talk and try to work productively withAllen and with Hillel and with The Crimson.

The letter said "Crimson writers active inHillel" have written extensively on Black-Jewishtensions and quotes anonymous students who say TheCrimson pursues a "racial agenda."

Hillel leaders and the Crimson editorial boardresponded forcefully, saying that the letter isoffensive and inaccurate, and that it implies thenewspaper is pro-Jewish and anti-Black. Onestudent has called for Counter's resignation, andThe Crimson wrote that Counter "should not be incharge of intercultural and race relations atHarvard" unless he retracts the statements.

Counter apologized for "any misunderstanding"caused by his letter, and has met with Hillelofficials, Dean of the College L. Fred Jewett `57and Rudenstine. He issued another statement ofapology yesterday. [see related story]

Rudenstine said Counter "has done an excellentjob" as director of the Foundation, which wascreated a decade ago to improve race relations oncampus.

At a meeting with Undergraduate Councilmembers, Rudenstine praised the Foundation'srecord under Counter.

"Most of the events that I have seen in termsof the overall record of the Foundation have beenreally very positive," he said. "And the numberwhere there have been people who have been quiteoffended, at least as far as I know, have beenquite small."

Counter should be judged by his "total trackrecord and not just any one or two particularevents," the president said.

Rudenstine called the recent controversy"unfortunate," and said that Counter "has takenthe initiative" to apologize.

"I don't enjoy seeing people being troubled. Idon't like people lashing out at each other, [but]I can understand it. It's not very helpful, Ithink," Rudenstine said after the meeting.

Rudenstine argued that since "all thosefeelings have now been expressed, it would be verygood indeed if we could step back and agree to sitdown and talk and try to work productively withAllen and with Hillel and with The Crimson.