Club Reveals Who They Love

The Daleks are taking over the Universe! Who will save the World from chaos and destruction?

The Doctor will save us, say members of a newly formed Harvard student group.

The Doctor who?

Precisely, they say, Doctor Who.

About 20 students have banded together under the auspices of the Harvard-Radcliffe Science Fiction Association [SFA], which went defunct in 1984. Their purpose, they say, is to get everyone to recognize the great service The Doctor has rendered to earthlings over the past twenty-four years.

"Sometimes I wonder myself [why I like Dr. Who]." Steven Sigel '89-'90 said. "It's just fun, I guess."

"What attracts me about Dr. Who?" asked Jotham W. Parsons '89-'90, secretary of the fan club. "The acting is very good, the writing is often good, and the special effects are always very bad, so you can laugh at them."

Dr. Who is a program aired weekly on PBS stations imported from Great Britain. The eponymous protoganist is a knowledgeable alien who battles forces of evil throughout the universe,protecting earth from numerous brushes withdestruction.

In order to swell their numbers, the Dr. Whofans--or Whovians, as they prefer to becalled--have begun showing rare Dr. Who episodeson VCR's in the Dunster House VCR room which areopen to any who want.

And in an attempt to insure the longevity oftheir idol, about five of the Club's members willgo to New Hampshire this weekend to participate inChannel 11's annual fund drive and encourage thecontinued showing of Dr. Who on PBS stations.

"We're just following the Whovian principle ofgetting money for the people who help you,"Suzanne L. Demitrio '91 said.

If this seems like the Whovians are taking thisall too seriously, you have yet to spend time witha group of diehards. True Whovians take pride intheir ability to rattle off the names of all sevenactors who have played the doctor in the show's24-year history and are always eager to debate themerits of The Doctors' many foes and friends.

"I'm just sick of the Daleks," said Alison D.Sandman '90, of one of the Doctors most recurrentenemies, a group of super-intelligent robots.

"I think the most popular companion was K-9, adog-like robot who followed The Doctor around,"Parsons interjected.

Whovians become obsessed for reasons as variedas the actors who have played the scarf-cladcharacter.

Some say they are motivated by Dr. Who peerpressure.

"I was friends with a bunch of Whovians, and Igot tired of having them talk over myhead--although that isn't hard, because I'mshort--so I started watching the show," Demitriosaid.

"I first watched it freshman year in highschool, but I really didn't start watching it muchuntil three years ago because several of myfriends did," said Sandman.

But other members' fixation with Dr. Who is anoutgrowth of liking other types of ScienceFiction.

"I hated Science Fiction until sixth grade,when someone introduced me to Madeleine L'Engle's[a popular children's science fiction author]work," Demitrio said. "Then I read all her work inthe next three days, without eating or sleeping."

And Siegel said, "I was watching Star Trek whenI was three years old, and then one night in thirdor fourth grade I was just flipping channels andstarted watching Dr. Who. I've been watching itever since.