Committee Delays Vote on Day Care Council

The Harvard Steering Committee on Child Care met last night to adopt a proposal to transform itself from a committee to a permanent council, but failed to take action.

The committee postponed for two weeks a vote on the plan, after discussing revision of the by-laws for the proposed council for three hours.

Walter J. Leonard, special assistant to President Bok, who presided at the meeting, said that a permanent council could more effectively advance the cause of Harvard day care than a committee.

Leonard added that this administrative revision was the only action that the committee could take at this time.

The steering committee had earlier sought to have the University appoint and pay a coordinator to represent the four Harvard-Radcliffe child care centers now in operation. It had also sought full University benefits for employees of the four centers, as well as free janitorial service.

Leonard said that the University was unable to appropriate funds for this purpose because of the growing deficit and increased demand for student housing. He also said that operating costs for the University were rising due to wage increase demands by various unions.

The University currently has no official policy on day care. In April of last year, the steering committee submitted a proposal to the corporation asking for University support.

In its last official action on child care, the Corporation endorsed the aims of day care but did not adopt the committee's proposal or allocate any funds.

The proposed Council would be composed of representatives of the present day care centers, the number to be determined by the individual centers. Leonard would serve as an ex officio member and representative to President Bok.

Members of the Graduate Women's Organization (GWO) stated last night that the proposed Council would probably not be any more effective in establishing University support for daycare than the old Steering Committee.