Justice Restricts Attendance

For most lectures, in most big Harvard courses, students try to figure out how to skip class. But for tomorrow's class in Moral Reasoning 22, "Justice," the usual Harvard practice has been reversed, as students plot ways to smuggle their friends into lecture.

The attraction is a debate over gay rights between New Republic Editor Andrew Sullivan and Kenan Professor of Government Harvey C. Mansfield, Jr. '53. Sullivan is openly gay and is a frequent defender of gay rights; Mansfield this fall called homosexuality "shameful" and said it undermines Western Civilization.

Only students enrolled in the class will be officially allowed to attend the debate, to be held at 11 a.m. in Sanders Theatre.

Tickets, required for admission, were distributed in class to students last week. Those who were absent will be allowed to pick them up today when they turn in their papers.

"Our goal certainly isn't to exclude people, but we're afraid that students in the course won't have a seat," Head Teaching Fellow J. Russell Muirhead '88 said.

Muirhead said the decision to allow only Justice students was made after the debate generated an unexpected amount of interest. Sanders "would overflow if we invited everyone in," he said.

Sanders seats 1,200, but there are only 926 students enrolled in the class. As a result, hundreds of empty seats are expected.

Muirhead said he would consider making spaces available if he could guarantee that Justice students had seats first.

"I'd have no objection to that. But we can't sort that many people in the five minutes before lecture," he said.

However, Muirhead said, WHRB will be taping the debate and airing it later this week. The broadcast is tentatively scheduled for Saturday at 1 p.m.

Some students, however, have made plans to hear the lecture using other means. (Most of them refused to speak to The Crimson for fear of Jeopardizing their elaborate plans to gain entry to Sanders.)

Still, the variety of schemes, rumored or real, for getting into tomorrow's debate is a testament to the creativity of Harvard students.

Several students in General Education 105, which meets directly before Justice, will simply stay for the debate, while others have enticed tickets from roommates in the class. Still others have obtained forged tickets, which resemble one of the four types of tickets given out by Muirhead last week.

Aditi M. Shrikhande '97 went to last Thursday's lecture, when the tickets were distributed, and got a ticket for herself and another for her roommate, Maame A.S. Ewusi-Mensah '97, who described herself as "Mansfield's biggest fan." No ticket was required to getinto Thursday's lecture.

"It was easy. They were handing them out torandom people. The T.F.'s don't know anybody,anyway," Shrikhande said.

To all this, Muirhead expresses amusement."It's a sign of the curiosity that Harvardstudents have. It's a noble goal. I just hopethere won't be too many of them so that they denyseats to Justice students.

"It was easy. They were handing them out torandom people. The T.F.'s don't know anybody,anyway," Shrikhande said.

To all this, Muirhead expresses amusement."It's a sign of the curiosity that Harvardstudents have. It's a noble goal. I just hopethere won't be too many of them so that they denyseats to Justice students.