$37,000 in New Funding Provided To Improve Radcliffe Sports Program

The Faculty will allocate $37,000 in extra funding to the athletic department to cover an upgrading of Radcliffe sports, Robert B. Watson '37, director of athletics, said yesterday.

The agreement merging the Harvard and Radcliffe athletic departments this fall provided for the improvement of Radcliffe sports programs.

The new money will augment a budget previously set at $94,000, making a total of $131,000 that will be given to the Radcliffe athletic program this year.

None of the money will come out of the Harvard program this year, but the budget for 1974-75, which will soon be prepared, might provide for reductions in some areas of Harvard athletics. "Next year is going to be a very tough year," Watson said.

Much of the new money will be used for equipment such as a new shell and ergometer for the Radcliffe crew and new uniforms for various Radcliffe teams, Watson said.

He added that the department is planning to hire new coaching personnel and provide transportation for Radcliffe inter-collegiate teams, which have previously traveled in members' cars.

The budget for the Harvard athletic program is $2.65 million for this academic year, with the major portion paying for the operation of buildings and other facilities.

Extra Money Necessary

The extra money is necessary because the Harvard budget could not absorb the costs of improvements in the Radcliffe program, Watson said, although the department has always provided many services to women's athletics that have not been paid for by Radcliffe.

Cutbacks in the money requested for Harvard programs and uncertainty over the costs generated by the merger have left many problems that are being met on a day-to-day basis, Watson said.

The department's finances, he added, "are being held together with baling wire."