Before the Game

They could have set next year's state allocation of student aid. They could have drawn up a plan to bolster the quality of secondary school education. They could have settled once and for all the sticky problem of universities and their tax-exempt status.

But instead they had brunch. "We had no business agenda, it was the farthest thing from our minds," insisted President Bok Saturday morning at the end of a pre-football game meal just outside Harvard Stadium. The two hour event, co-sponsored by Harvard and its gridiron opponent University of Massachusetts was staged in honor of the Massachusetts legislature.

Heavyweights from all three institutions feasted on the buffet of crabmeat, stuffed mushrooms, eggs a la Deutch, and sausage wrapped in crepes laced with orange sauce.

From Harvard, most of Bok's key lieutenants mingled including Dean of the Faculty Henry Rosovsky, Vice President and General Counsel Daniel Steiner, Vice President for Finance Thomas O'Brien, and Dean of the Graduate School of Education Patricia A. Graham. Chancellor of UMass Joseph Duffey represented his school, and perhaps as many as 100 legislators, led by chairman of the Senate Ways and Means Committee Chester G. Atkins, along with leaders of the House and Senate Education committees. Senate president William Bulger reportedly indicated he was coming, but never showed up.

"I called Derek in July and suggested that we might do this together," Duffey said, explaining how the first such gala in recent Harvard memory took shape. He proposed it to symbolize the cooperation between public and private universities. "Of course we are both interested in the legislature," he added.

In August, the government and community affairs offices of the two schools huddled and dashed off 200 preliminary invitations to the entire legislature. They sent out about 500 invitations three weeks ago, and secured 300 responses. Though officials from neither sponsor would estimate the cost of the affair--which they split--a caterer said it ran to about $15 a head.

Discussing the division of responsibility, Bok looked up at the sky which was beginning to cloud and remarked. "They took credit for the weather, we took credit for the food." For dessert, however. UMass provided the better football team, destroying Harvard 21-7.