President Neil L. Rudenstine fielded questions about campus diversity, the Progressive Student Labor Movement (PSLM) and his own legacy at a special meeting of the Black Students Association (BSA) yesterday.
Rudenstine originally suggested the meeting to address concerns over the recent comments made by Kenan Professor of Government Harvey C. Mansfield `53-well-publicized remarks in which Mansfield linked grade inflation at Harvard with a mid-1970s influx of black students.
As the PSLM sit-in was not an issue at the time of the meeting's scheduling, BSA President Brandon A. Gayle `03 deferred questions on the topic until the end of the meeting.
One student posed a question to Rudenstine regarding Harvard's duty to speak out regarding problems at other institutions.
Rudenstine responded that he works both publicly and behind the scenes to ensure greatest effectiveness at dealing with difficult issues.
"It's better to learn and negotiate than to presume Harvard has some special wisdom," he said.
While he emphasized caution at not commenting publicly on matters he does not have full knowledge of, he said he is a proponent of diversity in all areas and that he will continue to support the consideration of race and ethnicity in admissions.
"Most people would say I've been a major spokesperson for that issue," he said.
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