Universities Will Work For New Overlap Laws

Harvard is working with other colleges and universities to enact legislation enabling schools to exchange the financial records of applicants, President Neil L. Rudenstine said in an interview yesterday.

If Harvard is to support the pending legislation, it must allow all universities need-based financial aid, Rudenstine said.

MIT and the U.S. Justice Department recently reached agreement on a settlement of the Institute's suit against the government.

The Settlement allows the sharing of applicants' financial records but dose not allow universities to set financial aid awards in advance.

Rudenstine, said he is monitoring other schools' decisions on whether to comply or reject the agreement when the Ancient Eight's presidents meet this spring.

Rudenstine said he dose not know whether any of the 30 or 40 schools who are considering the agreement have made a decision Yet.

Harvard's Department of Government, Community and Public Affairs will continue its efforts to lobby Congress fornew legislation, Rudenstine said.

Such legislation would ideally provide for thetype of information exchange that will allowinstitutions without Harvard's financial resourcesto give an equivalent level of financial aid, hesaid.

"If we were to move at all it would be toexplore whether there is a chance of legislativerelief," Rudenstine said. "But that would depend agreat deal on sitting down with people in congressand thinking it through and seeing to what extentit seemed to be consistent with the antitrustprovisions and so on."

The Bush Justice Department ended Harvard'spractice of deciding financial aid awards inconsultation with 22 other private colleges anduniversities.

The Justice Department at that time argued thatHarvard's arrangement, known as the OverlapAgreement, violated anti-trust laws.

Beyond the financial aid issue, Rudenstine saidHarvard lobbyists will be active in the comingmonths, as issues from the budget to health careare debated in Washington.

Other Priorities

"Part of the issue obviously now is healthcare," Rudenstine said, "and with the budget, andthe crime bill, and everything else on the tabledown there, finding your place in the queue... isas much a matter of making sure that you'rethinking and helping with the priorities thatCongress is facing as well as [Harvard's] ownpriorities."

To accomplish its goals in this busylegislative time, Harvard must team up with otheruniversities, Rudenstine said.

"Congress doesn't only want to hear fromHarvard, a congressman from Indiana wants to hearfrom a university in that area," Rudenstine said.

Rudenstine said some efforts to influencelegislation are "nearly unselfish" and frequentlyunnecessary for the good of Harvard students.

"[Legislation allowing overlap] would certainlynot be just helping Harvard because we have ourown policy [of need-blind admissions] and we'regoing to stick to it," Rudenstine said.

"The whole effort would be to see whether lotsof institutions that can't afford to be need-blindin admissions but do want to be and are committedto need-based aid could be allowed toparticipate," he said

Such legislation would ideally provide for thetype of information exchange that will allowinstitutions without Harvard's financial resourcesto give an equivalent level of financial aid, hesaid.

"If we were to move at all it would be toexplore whether there is a chance of legislativerelief," Rudenstine said. "But that would depend agreat deal on sitting down with people in congressand thinking it through and seeing to what extentit seemed to be consistent with the antitrustprovisions and so on."

The Bush Justice Department ended Harvard'spractice of deciding financial aid awards inconsultation with 22 other private colleges anduniversities.

The Justice Department at that time argued thatHarvard's arrangement, known as the OverlapAgreement, violated anti-trust laws.

Beyond the financial aid issue, Rudenstine saidHarvard lobbyists will be active in the comingmonths, as issues from the budget to health careare debated in Washington.

Other Priorities

"Part of the issue obviously now is healthcare," Rudenstine said, "and with the budget, andthe crime bill, and everything else on the tabledown there, finding your place in the queue... isas much a matter of making sure that you'rethinking and helping with the priorities thatCongress is facing as well as [Harvard's] ownpriorities."

To accomplish its goals in this busylegislative time, Harvard must team up with otheruniversities, Rudenstine said.

"Congress doesn't only want to hear fromHarvard, a congressman from Indiana wants to hearfrom a university in that area," Rudenstine said.

Rudenstine said some efforts to influencelegislation are "nearly unselfish" and frequentlyunnecessary for the good of Harvard students.

"[Legislation allowing overlap] would certainlynot be just helping Harvard because we have ourown policy [of need-blind admissions] and we'regoing to stick to it," Rudenstine said.

"The whole effort would be to see whether lotsof institutions that can't afford to be need-blindin admissions but do want to be and are committedto need-based aid could be allowed toparticipate," he said