Students Petition On Powell

A petition protesting Harvard's invitation to Gen. Colin L. Powell to speak at Commencement and to receive an honorary degree was circulated in house dining halls beginning Sunday night.

The petition stops short of calling for the retraction of Powell's invitation, but "object[s] to the choice" in light of his defense of the military's ban on homosexuals.

The Leadership Council of Harvard, a University-wide coalition of bisexual, gay and lesbian student groups, will send the signed petition to President Neil L. Rudenstine, according to the petition's author, Divinity School student Charles L. Outcalt.

A tally of the total number of signatures on the petitions was not available yesterday, but Justin Goodyear '95 said that between 80 and 90 people signed the petitions he brought to the Dunster House dining hall Sunday evening.

Outcalt said that he had collected between 150 and 170 signatures at the Divinity School and that he expected as many from the other graduate schools.

The Leadership Council plans to hold a rally tomorrow at 12:30 p.m. at Memorial Church to protest the invitation of Powell.

At the rally, the council will demand that Rudenstine formally affirm the University's opposition to the ban on gays in the military, said Andrew Greenspan, a medical student on the council.

"We want President Rudenstine to get up on the podium with Powell and say, 'I and the University support lifting the ban," Greenspan said.

The council expects the rally to draw "a huge turnout," both students and media, Greenspan said.

The council held a special meeting last Wednesday to discuss protests to Powell's invitation. At this meeting, about 100 copies of the petition were given out to be distributed for signature in all of the University's schools, said Greenspan.

In a statement released two weeks ago, Rudenstine stressed Powell's record in the Gulf War and called him "a thoughtful and eloquent speaker" while reaffirming Harvard's opposition to the ban.

But Dennis Lin '94, a member of the undergraduate Bisexual Gay and Lesbian Students Association, who attended the council's Wednesday meeting, said he did not believe Harvard's position was effective.

"It is extremely naive for Harvard to think that they can invite Powell to give such a prestigious speech and think that it will not be interpreted as an affirmation of his support for the ban," Lin said.

Outcalt said that if Powell had expressed views that were anti-Semitic or anti-Black, he wouldn't have been invited to Harvard.

"It seems lesbians, gays and bisexuals are the last group it's safe to hate," Outcalt said.

None of the council members interviewed yesterday questioned Powell's right to speak, but all felt that Commencement was not the appropriate forum.

"We don't object to Powell's coming to Harvard," Outcalt said. "We object to him receiving an honorary degree and to his having the authority of the Commencement stage."

"We welcome debate, but we don't feel that Commencement is the right place for debate," Outcalt said. "We feel that some things, such as the civil rights and the full humanity of gays, lesbians and bisexuals, are not open to debate.

The Leadership Council plans to hold a rally tomorrow at 12:30 p.m. at Memorial Church to protest the invitation of Powell.

At the rally, the council will demand that Rudenstine formally affirm the University's opposition to the ban on gays in the military, said Andrew Greenspan, a medical student on the council.

"We want President Rudenstine to get up on the podium with Powell and say, 'I and the University support lifting the ban," Greenspan said.

The council expects the rally to draw "a huge turnout," both students and media, Greenspan said.

The council held a special meeting last Wednesday to discuss protests to Powell's invitation. At this meeting, about 100 copies of the petition were given out to be distributed for signature in all of the University's schools, said Greenspan.

In a statement released two weeks ago, Rudenstine stressed Powell's record in the Gulf War and called him "a thoughtful and eloquent speaker" while reaffirming Harvard's opposition to the ban.

But Dennis Lin '94, a member of the undergraduate Bisexual Gay and Lesbian Students Association, who attended the council's Wednesday meeting, said he did not believe Harvard's position was effective.

"It is extremely naive for Harvard to think that they can invite Powell to give such a prestigious speech and think that it will not be interpreted as an affirmation of his support for the ban," Lin said.

Outcalt said that if Powell had expressed views that were anti-Semitic or anti-Black, he wouldn't have been invited to Harvard.

"It seems lesbians, gays and bisexuals are the last group it's safe to hate," Outcalt said.

None of the council members interviewed yesterday questioned Powell's right to speak, but all felt that Commencement was not the appropriate forum.

"We don't object to Powell's coming to Harvard," Outcalt said. "We object to him receiving an honorary degree and to his having the authority of the Commencement stage."

"We welcome debate, but we don't feel that Commencement is the right place for debate," Outcalt said. "We feel that some things, such as the civil rights and the full humanity of gays, lesbians and bisexuals, are not open to debate.