Victim of Its Success

Every year around Commencement time, President Bok is fond of boasting about the many undergraduates involved in public service. He, and the Harvard community, have every reason to be proud. A large fraction of the student body participates in community programs, most of them with Phillips Brooks House (PBH).

Such numbers provide reassuring proof that not all Harvard students are the self-centered, pre-professional yuppies Allan Bloom and William J. Bennett would like us to think. By funding 51 public service programs, PBH ensures that undergraduates will not isolate themselves behind the Yard's ivy walls but instead spread Harvard's resources in the community. The 94-year-old organization plays an important role in the lives of the underprivileged in Boston and Cambridge--operating programs such as summer camps, tutoring and free legal help for the poor.

NOW comes the shocking news that PBH will have to cut spending for programs by nearly 60 percent this year, from $58,000 to $24,000. Such deep reductions bode ill for the future of existing programs and lead us to question the management of PBH and the University's commitment to supporting campus public service.

"We're the victims of our own success because we've grown so much," PBH President Van L. Truong '89 said last week. That's a large part of the problem. PBH has been so intent on expanding that it has forgotten to find the money for its existing programs. In fact, a new program was launched on the same day PBH learned it would have to slash its budget. While the intentions are no doubt noble, the common sense is missing.

PBH has started an $600,000 endowment drive to provide it with more secure funding in future. Until the drive is completed, it is imperative that the University come to the aid of the ailing service organization and provide some financial assistance. Bok constantly waxes poetic about the joys of public service and has established a separate program of his own run through the President's office. Bok should further his commitment to this important part of student life and community life by supporting PBH during its time of financial troubles.

Unless the University steps in to support PBH with a financial boost, fiscal and physical dangers may result from PBH's over-hasty expansion. The dangers became apparent last July when a PBH van carrying summer camp children flipped over on the Mass. Turnpike. The van was filled to double the legal capacity because, according to officials, PBH did not have enough money to buy more vans. Although the 29 children and counselors sustained minor injuries, a major tragedy was narrowly escaped. The University and PBH cannot allow risks like these to occur simply for lack of money or poor planning.