Harvard Should Support Coles

Robert Coles '50's patience has finally reached its limit. After years of indoctrinating hundreds of students at a time in General Education 105: The Literature of Social Reflection, the legendary professor has indicated that Harvard must enhance its role in public service to keep him on the faculty.

For the last several years, Coles has been trying tirelessly to involve students in the community through Philips Brooks House programs and the core curriculum. The University has not yet been a willing party to Coles's efforts. But the new Report on the Structure of the College says the administration should change its tune.

With this validation, Coles has delivered the ultimate ultimatum--he'll leave if the University doesn't start a campus-wide public service program. Coles claims he's not threatening the University, just informing them that his plans for next year are up in the air.

Earlier this week, President Neil L. Rudenstine indicated that he supported Coles's ideas for a summer public service program, though it's not yet clear exactly what form such a program might take, or what Harvard's contribution would be. Rudenstine's words were a step in the right direction.

It's time for the University to sit up and do the right thing. We need a public service program to show more than half of the College's students what life is like outside the ivory tower. No one should be allowed to live here for four years without contributing something more than money to the surrounding city.

At the same time, while we need to keep Coles's insight and wisdom at Harvard, the University shouldn't make public service a priority simply for his benefit. Indeed, Harvard should observe extreme caution in this situation; giving Coles a huge program could spur other important professors to threaten to leave.

The administration should begin by drawing on Coles's expertise in an advisory role. We're sure he'll want to play an active part in whatever program is instituted, but his continued contribution to Harvard's educational experience through teaching should come first.

Meanwhile, Rudenstine and his deans have a lot of work to do. If public service is to be mandatory, it will be important to reshape the regular course curriculum to allow for at least one semester of work in the community.

Like Coles, we'd like to see a blueprint for college public service soon.