Harvard Magazine Personals: Finding Love in the Veritas

Let's face it, you may not find the love of your life in four years of college in Cambridge.

After all, everyone knows that the Harvard man is arrogant and the Radcliffe woman is unattractive. And even if they were pleasant in manners and appearance, they're both too busy for romance, especially with each other.

So you may have to wait until you leave these ivy-covered walls to meet Miss or Mister Right. But how do you find a mate to match your exacting standards? Where do you look for a person of sensitivity, grace, breeding and intelligence? Stop worrying--for just $2 a word Harvard Magazine could help your love life through its personal advertisments located at the back of the publication.

There are no MWIM (married white Irish male), DJF (divorced Jewish female), or BiBM (bisexual Black male) on the pages of this University publication. "We don't accept abbreviations because we prefer something that is a reflection of the individual running the ad and not a standard SWM [single white male]," says Hillary A. Rao, the classified advertising manager of Harvard Magazine.

"We have certain rules and standards to uphold," she says.

Although no crimson affiliation is necessary to place an ad in the magazine--which is published six times a year and sent to alumni the world over--many advertisers tend to include their year of graduation. In a given issue, don't be surprised to find companionship sought by Radcliffe '45, Harvard '68 and Harvard-Radcliffe '59. Those who don't attach any special meaning to the word "veritas" are described as Yale Ph.D, MIT grad, Vassar '54, or Wellesley woman. The emphasis is clearly on degree, not sex appeal.

These erudite lonelyhearts desire "intellectual adventures," "someone to share cultural activities" or even "relationship and coinvestment in sound real estate project." They are seeking a "man of achievement with sensibility as keen as intellect' and a "woman who enjoys Bach and books." Unlike The Village Voice, Harvard Magazine contains no mention of "intimate afternoons" or "sensual encounters."

"The magazine is discreet," says Rao. "It's a safe, protected atmosphere because the people who run the personals know the background of the people who read them. There's a network, a camaraderie, between Harvard alums."

"Since it's a respectable publication, people get a quality response," she adds.

One divorced Yalie who tried the Harvard romance system agrees, saying he chose to advertise in the publication because of its ivory tower audience. "I thought the readers would be appropriate in terms of their educational level, and that was congenial to me."

Another man explains that he placed an ad only in the University's periodical because he's "very, very picky."

Lisa S. Mintz, assistant manager for classified advertising says Harvard Magazine stresses genteel ads. "The environment is closed; it's very different from the Phoenix or the Boston Magazine."

The typical advertiser is usually widowed or divorced and seeking a long-term relationship, Mintz says, adding that the average 30-word ad is tailored for a "particular clientele."

One woman, whose ad boasted of a "superb chassis" and "excellent headroom," says that she felt the "circumscribed pool of Harvard Magazine would have people of the income, education and culture I was looking for. My husband was a Harvard man; I knew it was a good medium."

"I'm not a swinging person," says the Connecticut resident, who wished to remain anonymous. "I'm an academic and an intellectual, a museum curator. I'm not into the disco scene."

Harvard Magazine began its classified section in the 1970s, and personals have been a part of the back pages of the periodical ever since. Rao says that the number of personals has increased slightly in recent years, and that business is always brisk in November and May. Smart shoppers know that those issues are circulated to alumni of the graduate schools in addition to the College.

And just how many of the roughly 30 advertisers in a particular issue end up with that perfect Ivy League match?

"People call us up and tell us it works. They're pleased with the results," says Rao.

"Superb chassis," who says she's received a large, nationwide response, adds that "there's no special loyalty. I have a lot of Harvard connections in my family, but if the Yale Alumni Magazine ran classifieds, well..."

But not everyone is quite so happy about Harvard publishing the longings of the learned. Reads one advertising message "Devoted alumnus seeks like-minded persons. Object: withholding contributions until trendy, vulgar personal column is deleted."