Word: ratner
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Dates: during 1970-1979
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...very surprised to find that Jonathan Ratner's answer to the question "What's wrong with Harvard students?" was so mildly worded. If his article "How Hot Do We Want It?" meant to be a plea for political activism at Harvard, he should be aware that most students who started to read his article never finished...
...that a complete withdrawal of American companies from South Africa would not, at this time, be the wisest course (a view which I personally do not share). The ACSR felt that the issues of withdrawal or non-expansion are best dealt with on a company-by-company basis. As Ratner points out, "a few corporations have aggressively challenged apartheid regulations," and these the ACSR feels can often be a positive force for change in South Africa. Other factors the ACSR has considered are employment policies, nature of business (e.g., mining as opposed to distribution), and who would be hurt most...
...light of these views, the ACSR has recommended varying responses to the Harvard Corporation in regard to six South Africa-related proxy issues this year. Ratner has reported on two of these, Manufacturers Hanover Bank and General Electric. On Manufacturers, the ACSR faced the South African question for the first time over the issue of further loans to the South African government. Other than agreeing that we felt Manufacturers should establish a policy of assessing the likely social impact of each loan to the government, the ACSR could not agree on how to recommend to Harvard to vote its proxy...
...vote Ratner fails to point out, however, is the ACSR and the Harvard Corporation's favorable vote on a proxy issue at Union Carbide. This proxy would have required Union Carbide to stop all further expansion in South Africa if passed by a majority of Union Carbide shareholders...
Many students may not be pleased with the results of Harvard's proxy votes or with Harvard's continued ownership of stock in companies that do business in South Africa. The resolution of these issues, however, need not be accomplished through protest rallies and Mass. Hall takeovers, as Ratner implies. The ACSR was set up in 1972 for the very purpose of bringing student, faculty, and alumni views into the management of Harvard's portfolio. If students in recent years have failed to use the ACSR effectively, they have none but themselves to blame...