Traitor to the Cause?

In deciding to devote his annual report this year to financial aid, and specifically to the knotty question of how much responsibility the federal government should have for subsidizing it. President Bok probably had no idea what a tutor he would stir up.

But now, a week after the report's appearance, Bok's suggestion that the cost of the aid program be reduced by eliminating grants for those students unlikely to finish college has sparked charges of educational elitism and betrayal of the Reagan philosophy.

Complaints have divided so far into those who take exception to Bok's apparent advocacy of test scores and grades as tools of public policy and those who object to the report's basic implications--that financial aid must be cut, and that achievement can or should be added to need in deciding who should receive aid.

Among students, plans are afoot in the Coalition for Student Aid (CSA) to-send Bok a letter protesting his stance and "trying to get him to reaffirm his commitment to higher education for all who need it," says Susan Cronin '84, who conceived the project.

The group hopes to get endorsement for the letter from other campus groups and several--including the Black Students Association the Seymour Society, and the student groups that comprise the Coalition--have already pledged their support, Cronin says.

"It's a justice issue," she says, adding. "I wouldn't say Bok's idea is elitist, but it would be a big step backwards."

Cronin says the group does not take exception to all Bok's points, and adds that she supports "some reasonable form of needs test" for basic grants in accordance with Bok's contention that there is still waste in the program.

Bok's tone in the report was "somewhat upsetting," says Jess A. Velona '83, a coalition member. He adds that the letter "will be in keeping with the theme the coalition has stressed, that there is a principle of equal opportunity."

Few critics have been able to address directly the question of the report's tone, in large measure because few administrators not directly involved have had time to read the 32-page document. Instead, most observers both on and off campus have reacted to the press coverage of the analysis, which has stressed Bok's suggestion of linking and to grades and test scores. While Bok has said the press coverage takes his remarks out of context, some observers note that coverage perceived as skewed can be harmful whether or not it correctly describes the report's contents.

"It's unfortunate that a statement like that, sensible as it may be, is coming out of a place seen as elitist," says Patricia McWade, financial and coordinator at the Graduate School of Arts and Sciences.