Freshmen Raise Money For a 'Student in Need'

It was an up and down weekend for freshman Bruce Middleton. The Canaday resident and his high weight crew boat mates finished two seconds behind Princeton yesterday, but the day before he had computed the yield from the first time ever freshman class scholarship fund he started and found that his Yard colleagues had chipped almost $1000 to help a needy member of the Class of 1986.

Middleton launched the fund drive last Monday and a collection station in the Union manned by a rotating crew of 15 friends attracted small donations from about 150 students, the rookie charity director said last night.

Future Plans

The money will be turned over to the College's financial aid office, which will pass it on to a student in need" entering Harvard this fall.

Middleton explained that the College plans to give the money to a student interested in communist work who might be likely to lead a similar effort by the freshman class next year.

"We started out kind of late and kind of off-the cut but the precedent has been set and new people can make this an annual thing," he added.

Harvard officials have expressed unanimous admiration for Middleton's small scale campaign to combat high tuition costs and reduced federal student and said David K South a University development officer.

"This took a lot of effort especially at this time of year with people thinking more about exams than anything else," Smith said. The University fundraiser laughed when asked if Middleton might be offered a spot in Harvard's development office, but he didn't dismiss the idea.

Foot work

Middleton personally distributed flyers advertising the Class of '85 Fund to 800 freshman doorsteps a week ago, after conferring with a series of administrators on the best way to convince his peers to contribute. Hindered by a late start he did not seek help from established campus groups.

"What we did this week was a pure way of raising money--just asking people to give--but in the future there could he all kinds of benefits or concerts," said Middleton.

He added that several upperclassmen stopping off for a meal in the Union had offered support as well. "We just made them honorary members of the Class of '85 and took the money," Middleton said.