Education Against Race Bias Urged in Harvard Report Assailing Prejudice in Universities

A severe indictment of the attitude toward Jews in some American universities and a recommendation that “liberation of its students from racial or religious prejudice” should be part of the university’s education function were contained in a report made today by a special committee on personnel to President James Conant of Harvard University.

Charging that anti-Semitic feeling “has made it difficult for Jews otherwise eligible to obtain initial appointments and, there is reason to believe, has retarded their advancement to higher rank when appointed,” the report continued:

“No graver reflection could be cast on the academic profession than that any of its members should be willing to compromise time honored educational and scholarly standards by racial or religious discrimination.

“The committee is informed that certain members of the (Harvard) faculty object to the appointment of Jews to the tutorial staff in the belief that they are unacceptable to undergraduates. The extent of this undergraduate attitude can easily be exaggerated — in a number of departments Jewish tutors have met with conspicuous success. In any case, it is the committee’s view that the university should regard as a part of its educational function the liberation of its students from racial or religious prejudice. To this end it is essential that appointments to the teaching staffs be made solely on grounds of professional qualifications for the position in question.”