Curtain Going Up

Many undergraduates think of the Corporation as a deaf, dumb, and blind giant who stumbles along from century to century without ever recognizing the needs and opinions of students. The news that the Corporation has approved the Provost's plans to open and maintain a Student Activities Center undoubtedly comes as a surprise to these cynics. The Student Activities Center is a project that the College both needs and desires, and it is only fair that the University be commended for taking action--although the action has been four years in coming.

Another of the College's most important needs is a theater suitable for undergraduate productions. The need for such a theater has existed since before 1925, when lack of one forced George Pierce Baker to pack up his "47 Workshop" and go to Yale. Recent statements by officials of the University indicate that the Corporation has at last agreed that Harvard needs a theater.

The Corporation has a priority list of projects, which is headed by funds for scholarships and General Education. Gifts to the University labelled "unrestricted" are usually applied to these projects, and it is unlikely that there will ever be any money of this sort left over for a theater. Should an "angel" appear with a bag of money intended for a theater, however, the University would now accept this "restricted" gift--something it has not done in the past.

These who have been clamoring for a theater at Harvard should now seek out men interested in contributing to such a project. The University will not necessarily initiate such action, but it will co-operate with those who do. This alone marks a turning point in the history of Harvard's official attitude toward the theater. When considered with the announcement of the Student Activities Center, it indicates that the University is awakening from a doze.