Guide Seeks to Bolster Town-Gown Bond

In an effort to combat its image as an unapproachable institution. Harvard has announced that it will soon publish a guide listing University resources available to local residents.

The 30-page booklet, called "The Community--Guide to Harvard," will "throw down the welcome mat and say that there are a lot of things here that are open to the public," said Director of State Relations Richard J. Doherty '76.

According to David M. Rosen, director of the Harvard News Office, this is the University's first attempt to target Cambridge and Boston residents with information about Harvard's offerings.

The guide is being compiled joint byu Rosen's office and the office of John Shattuck, vice president for government and community affairs.

Smorgasbord

Part of the guide will list events and attractions at the University, such as athletic competitions, museums, and libraries, and Extension School courses, Rosen said.

The rest of the book will publicize community service projects run by the University and or undergraduates, such as the various projects of Phillips Brooks House, Rosen added.

City Councilor Alice K. Wolf praised the project, Currently, "I don't think people in the community basically feel welcome in the University," she said.

"It's a very good idea of Harvard to go beyond [announcing events in the Harvard Gazette]" said Cambridge City Councilor Erancis H. Duchay '55, who also said that the guide was needed.

"A lot of people in the community aren't connected [with Harvard]," Duchay added, "they don't know, for example, that they can go to a basketball game or a hockey game."

Hear Ye, Hear Ye

Shattuck said that, while final distribution plans have not been made, the guide will be "widely distributed" to city officials, heads of community groups, school groups and others in the Cambridge and Boston area.

The University may also distribute the guide to staff and faculty members, Rosen said.

Shattuck, formerly an attorney with the American Civil Liberties Union, began planning the guid last June, when he took over as vice president.

The guide is in keeping with Shattuck's philosophy to improve relations between the University and the community through increased and open communication.

To get listing of Harvard's programs and resources, Shattuck's office distributed between 400 and 500 questionnaries to various parts of the University earlier this year.

Rosen, who is supervising the printing of the guide, said the university is shooting for May I publication date.

He was unable to estimate the cost of the project, but said it would depend on the size of the press run and the format of the guide, which have not been decided yet.