Alumni in Poll Say President of Harvard Shouldn't Quit

BOSTON, June 4 - A majority of Harvard alumni believe that the university's president, Lawrence H. Summers, has done a good job over all and should not resign, according to a poll conducted for a new independent alumni magazine.

The majority of respondents to the survey, 62 percent, said they disagreed with Dr. Summers's statements, and 58 percent said they thought discrimination and upbringing, not aptitude, was the biggest factor contributing to the under-representation of women in science.

Asked whether Dr. Summers had diminished the university's reputation, 42 percent of respondents said yes, 28 percent said no, and 30 percent said they did not know or refused to answer the question.

Nearly two-thirds of respondents, or 63 percent, said Dr. Summers should keep his job, and just over one-half had a favorable impression of him and said he was a victim of political correctness. A spokesman for Dr. Summers declined to comment.

We should listen to the wisdom of our elders on this one. They understand that they can disagree with Summers without stifling academic discourse.