Alumni Visit for 'Return to Harvard' Day

About 300 Harvard graduates revisited their old haunts yesterday for the Harvard Alumni Association's (HAA) Return to Harvard Day, an annual event for alumni to witness current undergraduate life first-hand.

"We're trying to invite people, specifically [those in their] reunion years, to sit with classes and see what the education is like," HAA Assistant Director of Junior Relations Susan M. Marcy said.

Return to Harvard Day is a chance for alumni to involve themselves with the College on another level, said Kristin B. Curtis, HAA staff assistant for classes and reunions.

"Some are active with their class or reunions, but they don't really get to see students," she said.

Because reunions take place in early June, after exams and classes are over, alumni usually do not have the opportunity to observe student life at these times.

The day also provided a chance for graduates to reminisce about their pasts on a beautiful day in Cambridge.

"It was an absolutely glorious morning," George L. Campbell '44 said. "The Yard looks as great as I've ever seen it."

The alumni, who graduated between 1929 and 1994, started their day before 9 a.m. with a "Musical Morning Prayer" before heading off to a full roster of four courses.

They selected their schedules from a wide range of course choices, including Foreign Cultures 48, "The Cultural Revolution," Religion 42, "The Christian Bible and its Interpretations" and History 1653, "Baseball and American Society."

Some of them fit easily into the undergraduate routine.

"I ran into some [alumni] who were skipping their classes," Marcy said.

Meanwhile, a few participants went to classes but found the professors were no-shows.

Charles E. Baldwin III '54 decided to visit Assistant Professor of Anthropology Elizabeth Chilton's Anthropology 100, "Rediscovering Past Societies: An Introduction to Archaeology." Chilton, however, never appeared and the class was canceled.

"The assistant was there and he was embarrassed," Baldwin said. "I was disappointed. I thought it was very poor."

But for the most part, the alumni said they enjoyed attending the lectures.

"I went to the one with Reverend Gomes and every word he speaks is a gem," David C. Alan '86 said. "It helped me formulate some thoughts."

After the morning of courses, alumni had lunch in one of the Houses, either their own from their College days or with their reuniting class.

Afterwards they headed to a panel on undergraduate life.

Obiora I. "Bo" Menkiti '99, Sharmil S. Modi '99, Katherine M. O'Connor '99 and Tally Zingher '99, talked about their Harvard experiences, both in terms of academic and extracurricular experiences.

The majority of the audience's questions centered on social life at Harvard, dealing with issues such as fraternities, final clubs, the New York Times article on Harvard student happiness and the effects of randomization on House community.

Both men are members of the Sigma Chi fraternity; Menkiti and Zinger are members of final clubs, the Delphic and the Bee, respectively.

Modi attributed his involvement in the fraternity to a search for a community he has not found in other facets of Harvard life.

"When I graduate and come back, Leverett House will not know who I am. The Economics Department already doesn't know who I am," he said.

The alumni also asked about the Reserve Officer Training Corps, grade inflation and the breaking news of the day, Radcliffe's merger with Harvard.

The students said favorable things about the school, but made a point of stressing the independence and ambition necessary to succeed as a Harvard student.

They said they would like to see improvements in the advising system, greater administrative response and an increased sense of community among students.

Alumni said they found the discussion revealing about the student body.

"It's hard for an alumnus to keep track of [campus issues]," John P. Hoag '54 said. "You hear everything through a filter. It's a lot different when you talk directly to the students."

As Return to Harvard Day gave alumni a glimpse into what Harvard is like now, many said they were envious of students.

"You gain so much from being here in one day, it makes you wonder what you would learn in a whole year of those days," Clarke said.

While the student panelists answered questions, alumni also got a glimpse of the return of student activism.

Student members of the Living Wage Campaign distributed leaflets at designated classes throughout the morning and at the Class of 1969 dinner at the Faculty Club.

The Campaign plans to reach out to alumni over the summer in another attempt to bring pressure on the University.

"We continue to try shock the administration and to try to make them as embarrassed as possible," said Amy C. Offner '01, a campaign organizer.

--M. Douglas O'Malley contributed to the reporting of this article.