PUSEY ADVISED U.C. ON CLEAVER

As tension rose in California last night over Eldridge Cleaver's appointment as lecturer on racism, West Coast sources reported that President Pusey had advised the U.C. Regents in their decision to abort the Cleaver course.

In announcing the Regents' decision to reject Cleaver's appointment, U.C. President Charles J. Hitch said last week that the Regents based their action on "a long-standing Harvard rule that anyone who lectures more than twice must receive official approval."

Hitch has since revealed that he conferred with Pusey on the phone before making the announcement.

Pusey was not available for comment last night, but Dean Ford said that the rule actually does exist. He said that a 1963 Corporation ruling requires anyone "responsible for instruction in a course for credit" to receive a Corporation appointment.

In practice, Ford said, the rule is sometimes stretched so that guest lecturers--especially at the Med School--may give more than the two specified lectures.

"I have no knowledge of what President Pusey told Hitch," Ford said last night. "Our rule definitely does exist. The University of California apparently thought it meant just two guest lectures."

Meanwhile, a showdown appears imminent at Berkeley as classes begin today. At a press conference yesterday afternoon, the organizers of Cleaver's course announced that the course will hold its first meeting today, despite the Regents' decision. U.C. faculty members met late last night in an effort to find a solution to the faculty-administration power struggle that has developed out of the Cleaver controversy.

The problems began early last month when U.C.'s Board of Educational Development (BED) announced the creation of an experimental course on racism with black militant Cleaver as main lecturer.

Cleaver's appointment was immediately opposed by most state officials, including Gov. Ronald Regan and Assembly Speaker Jesse Unruh. Citing Cleaver's "preaching of racism and violence," his criminal record, and his lack of formal education, the U.C. Regents voted on Sept. 20 not to approve the course.

At that meeting, the Regents also decided to make changes in the BED's power. Created in the wake of the 1965 Free Speech Movement riots at Berkeley, the BED has been granted power to create experimental courses and invite lecturers without submitting its decisions to the Regents' approval.

Claiming that the BED had "acted without responsibility," the Regents rescinded the course-creating power and limited the BED to inviting lecturers for one appearance only.

Faculty Protest

Many U.C. faculty members have since protested the Regents' action, claiming" an intolerable incursion on academic freedom." One U.C. professor predicted last night that the result of the faculty's emergency meeting will be a statement asking for the return of BED powers and for creation of a special committee to get Cleaver's course approved.

At yesterday's press conference, Samula Kaplan, a sociology instructor who helped organize the course, said that it will hold an organizational meeting today. Cleaver will not speak at today's meeting Kaplan said, but is scheduled to lecture on Thursday.