WON'T YOU BE MINE?

Anne Bradstreet would never have been admitted to Harvard 300 years ago, but last October, Harvard dedicated a gate by Canaday Hall in the poet's honor.

Harvard's dedication celebrated more than just the 25th anniversary of co-residency in the Yard; the gesture opened the gate to discussions about women's status on campus that many say are long overdue.

Women remained in the College's spotlight well past the October commemoration. Recent alumnae gifts to Harvard--not Radcliffe--funded panels addressing women's issues, a new women's leadership award and a glossy brochure featuring prominent female undergraduates, faculty and alumnae. Such efforts made it easy for those students featured in the brochure to smile and proclaim things like, "It's a great time to be at Harvard."

All in all, it seems to have been an exceptional year for women at Harvard. Many say the College has finally recognized that Radcliffe's increasing marginalization in the lives of undergraduate women has left a void that Harvard must fill.

Still, a gate or a glossy brochure does not satisfy everyone. Many say that until Harvard increases the number of its tenured female faculty, creates a 24-hour rape crisis center like many of its Ivy peers and addresses issues like sexism in the classroom, the College's efforts to promote gender equality in undergraduate life this year are only empty gestures.

The discussions of the last year have shown a Radcliffe willing to shed its "college" label but still trying to retain some connection to undergraduate women.

The events of the last year have highlighted a Harvard now apparently willing--after more than two decades of benign neglect--to recognize that women comprise just under half of its undergraduate population.

Now Harvard's emerging interest in its female undergraduates must become a long-term commitment before students and alumnae alike are convinced that women can survive in a world without Radcliffe.

Taking Some Initiative

Harvard is not known for its small-scale projects. So when the College launched the Women's Initiative project last April--funded by the $1.25 million Houghton endowment--University Hall administrators were determined to make women's status on campus a theme for the year.

Under the auspices of the Women's Initiative, Dean of the College Harry R. Lewis '68 and Assistant Dean of the College Karen E. Avery '87 launched the Harvard College Discussion Series. An associate justice on the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court and a professor of women's studies and history of science, among other professional women, headlined panels and lunches that undergraduates of both sexes were encouraged to attend.

"This was the first year that Harvard had the series, and it will continue to grow much more over the next few years," says Avery, adding that she would like to see the Women's Initiative become "a household word."

But for all the weight Harvard has thrown behind the initiative, the administration cannot claim full credit. Avery told The Crimson last April that a "working group" of about 25 undergraduates formed by Lewis to address women's issues first suggested the formation of a College-sponsored project to benefit women.

Students involved in the Women's Leadership Project (WLP) also prompted the College to award its first ever Women's Leadership prize for undergraduates and the Women's Professional Achievement Award. Both honors were funded by the Terrie Fried Bloom '75 endowment, a gift of about $50,000 made at the beginning of the last academic year.

Of course, the College did make several self-initiated advancements for women. While not touted as such, two appointments within the House system this past year increased the presence of women on campus. In the spring, Lewis appointed Diana L. Eck master of Lowell House, making her the only women to follow in the footsteps of Sandra Naddaff, the current master of Mather House. Mallinckrodt Professor of Physics Howard Georgi, who will become master of Leverett House in the fall, is applauded for his longtime support of undergraduate women in the sciences.

Some say the amount of attention Harvard has showered on its female students this year is in some ways unprecedented.

Janet A. Viggiani, who served as the College's assistant dean of co-education from 1988 to 1993--the same position that Avery now fills--says Harvard never focused the same "kind of publicity and variety of programming on women."

"[Dean of the College L. Fred Jewett '57] cared enormously about those things that mattered to students--that included women's issues," Viggiani says. "He may not have produced a glossy magazine, but he addressed their interests."

Sibling Rivalry

Jewett was at the head of Viggiani's chain of command during her tenure in University Hall, but she is quick to add that her job required her to work closely with Philippa Bovet, now the dean emerita of Radcliffe College.

"Part of the reason why I got the job was because I had a connection to Radcliffe," says the former Adams House senior tutor, who worked in Radcliffe's office of career services before moving to Harvard.

"They wanted someone who cared about women at the College," Viggiani adds.

Viggiani's willingness to work with Radcliffe in addressing women's needs on campus differs markedly from Avery's, who says the 1977 agreement between the two schools gave Harvard sole responsibility over its female undergraduates.

"Radcliffe hasn't been providing women with an education for several years," Avery says. "It's role has diminished at the same time that Harvard has woken up to the realization that there are women in its environment, and that it should provide an inclusive environment."

In the effort to provide such an environment, Harvard has attracted the dollars of those donors who would like to help the College achieve a level of commitment toward its undergraduates they never saw in their years in Cambridge.

The alumni behind the Houghton endowment, Maisie K. Houghton '62 and James R. Houghton '58, made their gift to Harvard last April so that the College could "catch up" with the progress Radcliffe had made over the years for women.

Both James Houghton, who is a member of the Harvard Corporation and who currently chairs Corning, Inc., and Maisie Houghton say their ideas concerning the enhancement of undergraduate life were influenced by the women's movement of the 1960s. Maisie Houghton has long been involved in women's issues; she established a women's center in Corning, N.Y., and organized workshops in New York City on women and money.

"We owe a great deal to Radcliffe, and I have the greatest respect for them," Maisie Houghton says. "But Harvard was the one that needed beefing up."

Houghton says she and her husband simply wanted to enhance the undergraduate experience, without making a distinction between the two colleges.

"Radcliffe has not failed in its mission," she says. "I just think we need more of a good thing."

Recognizing the dollar potential of its alumnae, Harvard has recently begun to make direct appeals to the pocketbooks of its female graduates and others concerned with women's issues at the College.

In an unprecedented letter to all Harvard and Radcliffe graduates last April, Dean of the Faculty Jeremy R. Knowles highlighted the lack of alumnae involvement in Harvard's campaign. The letter questioned why more women were not involved in the University's Capital Campaign, and an enclosed report presented the results of task force meetings designed to find ways to improve alumnae connections to the College.

Many alumnae said they saw Knowles' letter as atacit appeal for donations, adding they had neverreceived letters like his before. Twelve alumnaesigned and delivered a letter to Knowles andPresident Neil L. Rudenstine, criticizing Knowlesfor not consulting Radcliffe President Linda S.Wilson before sending the report.

Under the 1977 agreement between Harvard andRadcliffe, Harvard cannot solicit donations fromalumnae who graduated before 1976.

The recent history of such appeals has causedsome to doubt the sincerity of the College inadvancing women's issues on campus.

"It's no coincidence that the dedication [ofthe Anne Bradstreet gate] coincided with Harvard'sCapital Campaign," alleges Mia Bagneris '98,co-president of the Radcliffe Union of Students."It was pretty consciously timed."

Knowles denies that the College hasspecifically tried to cater to its alumnae byproving that the College is intent on improvingthe lives of its female undergraduates.

"In deciding on programs and policy, we onlyhave one goal: what is best for the institution,"Knowles says. "One must hope that donors approveof what we decide and support that."

Still, the fact remains that the College'srecent interest in women at Harvard has coincidedwith the founding of endowments by women forwomen.

In addition to the Houghton and the TerrieFried Bloom endowments, Amy Smith Berylson '75endowed a fund in her name during the last term.While Berylson declined to comment on the size ofthe endowment, Avery says the gift will fund anannual lecture featuring women professionals in avariety of fields.

And just two weeks ago, five women with Harvardties, in partnership with the University,established a $15 million matching fund toencourage other women to give to Harvard.

All Style, No Substance

But not all alumnae are rushing to empty theirpocketbooks into Harvard's coffers. Instead, manygraduates and current undergraduates say it wouldbe premature for other women to cut off theirsupport for Radcliffe when Harvard has done littleto address the real needs of its female students.

Alumnae like Peggy S. Schmertzler '53, whochairs the Committee for the Equality of Women atHarvard, say the University must increase thenumber of its tenured female faculty before theycan feel assured that the College is addressingwomen's issues in some substantial way.

The group, composed of nearly 2,000 alumni,have established the Harvard Women FacultyFund--money that will be held in escrow untilHarvard has adopted effective measures forachieving a significant increase in the number oftenured women faculty.

The percentage of female tenured professorscurrently hovers slightly above 10 percent. Onlyone women has ever headed one of the University's10 schools. Patricia A. Graham stepped down asdean of the Graduate School of Education in 1991.

"It's great to dedicate a gate to women, andit's great to have the Houghton gift," Schmertzlersays. "But the University must show a sustainedcommitment to bringing equality to women in everyfacet of the University."

Bagneris agrees, saying that she is "unmoved"by the College's "symbolic gestures."

"Harvard celebrates what?" asks Bagneris,referring to the T-shirt slogan she sported inprotest of the 25th anniversary celebration ofco-residency in the Yard.

"They've celebrated not hiring and tenuringwomen, actively ignoring on-campus rape, andundervaluing and underpaying women such as thesecretaries and dining hall workers that reallymake Harvard work," she says.

Pledging Allegiance

With both schools wrangling for the hearts ofundergraduate women, for many the most obviousanswer remains the current situation--a collegialco-existence.

"There are more than enough women to goaround," says Colleen T. Gaard '99, who is the WLPco-chair and also a Crimson editor. The WLP isco-sponsored by Harvard, Radcliffe and theInstitute of Politics.

"Radcliffe pulls a lot of weight in somecircles. Harvard pulls weight in others," Gaardsays. "The combination of the two can only be forthe better of the general student population."

But Tamar March, dean of educational programsat Radcliffe, says that collaboration between thetwo schools is "not by design but by default." Shesays Radcliffe offers opportunities for theeducation of women by women that Harvard'sphilosophy of gender equality will not allow it toduplicate. Instead of co-sponsoring events, thetwo colleges are resigned to be divided.

"Radcliffe puts students in close, intimateproximity with women scholars, leaders andprofessionals," March says. "It's sort of what thefinal clubs do for men, but not in an economicway."

But not all female undergraduates or alumnaewant women to remain exclusive members of "ClubRadcliffe" or to identify exclusively withRadcliffe. Instead, they see Harvard's growinginterest in women as a sign that anundergraduate's need for Radcliffe will slowlydiminish as Harvard assumes more of theresponsibilities of the school on Garden Street.

"Maybe [the Women's Initiative] has hurtRadcliffe in the sense that some women feel thatthey don't have to turn to Radcliffe anymore,"Avery says. "But that's the way they should feelsince Harvard is their college.