Radcliffe Reversal

When Ada L. Comstock drafted her diary entry on June 19, 1931, the 56-year-old Radcliffe College president was on edge. That day, Comstock, who rarely strayed from the faithful recording of her meals, her weight and the weather, penned four words that bear evidence to months of anguish in the making: "Fear trouble for Radcliffe."

Her worries stemmed from a battle waged by then-Harvard President A. Lawrence Lowell, Class of 1877, who in 1930 asked the Corporation to relieve him from signing Radcliffe diplomas, a duty required of the University president since the Board of Overseers approved the Radcliffe charter in 1893.

By June of 1931, Lowell had suggested that Radcliffe courses would need to be reevaluated for quality control annually in order to get Harvard's nod.

The diploma incident was eventually resolved, but Comstock's diary helps reveal the dual nature of women's lives at Harvard--as well as the degree to which the tables have turned in a half-century.

In its early years, Radcliffe--through Comstock's tenure--was subject to Harvard's whim, each year having to commission professors to re-teach their courses to the ladies across the Common.

But in recent years, Harvard has been the one courting its neighbor, increasingly willing to adopt Radcliffe students as its own. Meanwhile, Radcliffe has shied away, intent on maintaining its independent status and tradition.

This flip has reached equilibrium only this year, resulting in a merger that dissolves Radcliffe College and creates a new Institute for Advanced Study.

It took just over 100 years to find a happy medium between a role for women at Harvard and institutional independence.

A COLLEGE OF THEIR OWN

In 1893, 14 years after the creation of the Society for the Collegiate Instruction of Women (familiarly known as the Annex), with Radcliffe becoming an awkward adolescent, a Crimson editorial reported that the Annex wanted to be more integrated into Harvard.

"It is the hope of the Annex authorities that the two lines of work now running almost parallel may soon merge into one," the editorial read.

According to Radcliffe College Archivist Jane Knowles, some Annex alumnae indeed wanted a closer institutional relationship with Harvard. After all, the point was to get Harvard degrees.

Harvard, however, was proving resistant to Radcliffe's clamors for equal footing.

While the University paid little mind to its down-the-road affiliate during the first half of the century, Lowell's instigation of the diploma dispute is emblematic of the Harvard-Radcliffe tug of war that characterized college life in Cambridge before the start of the Second World War.

RADCLIFFE THE RIVETER

The war was a watershed.

Despite the many Harvard students joining the armed forces, classes in the Yard proceeded--with one new twist: professors now gave their lectures only once, in coed settings on Harvard's campus. World conflict accomplished what the Annex couldn't.

But the integration of the classes did little for women seeking to join the Harvard community. Many did not feel like full-fledged members of the University.

Women may have been taking classes with men, but studying was a single-sex activity at Lamont Library for Harvard undergraduates since its grand opening in 1949. Women had access to Hilles Library in the Radcliffe Quadrangle, but the trek proved quite a hassle in the middle of the day.

In fall 1966, when Hilles was undergoing renovations, women were admitted to Lamont for a two-week period. The trial demonstrated--as least to some--that male and female students would both be able to use Lamont resources without "distracting" each other (a common fear) and without depleting the reserve bookshelf, the potential out-come that many men gave as their reason for opposition.

Women were given full permission to use Lamont on Monday, Feb. 6, 1967. Two librarians greeted the first woman to walk in with a picture of President Abraham Lincoln signing the Emancipation Proclamation.

TO MERGE OR NOT TO MERGE?

In 1969, while most people's minds were occupied with student protest, Radcliffe and Harvard were quietly discussing a possible merger.

Two years after the doors of Lamont were opened to women, Harvard was willing to merge with its sibling. But Radcliffe was no longer so easily convinced.

In the wake of Yale and Princeton's decisions to go completely co-ed, students in Cambridge began pushing for coeducational Houses in December 1968.

But Harvard President Nathan M. Pusey '28, one of Radcliffe's staunchest supporters, said he didn't see how the students of two colleges, with two separate administrations, could live together.

Both Pusey and Radcliffe President Mary I. Bunting decided a merger might be the solution for Harvard and Radcliffe.

The Radcliffe College Alumnae Association (RCAA) sent alumnae a letter with the news of a possible merger.

"Life has changed at Radcliffe in the past few years...almost imperceptibly the ties have grown much closer with Harvard," the letter reads.

The merger would mean a greater number of opportunities for women, including sharing in scholarship funds, the House system and its Masters and resident tutors, the letter continues. And, perhaps most importantly, female students would finally feel a part of Harvard.

But during a time of consciousness-raising and social activism, some women liked the idea of maintaining a room of their own.

The Dec. 8, 1970 Report of the Committee on Harvard-Radcliffe Relationships concluded a merger would not be prudent.

Instead, the committee recommended a series of changes, including a Harvard takeover of the Radcliffe House system and the creation of a Dean of Radcliffe College.

"Equal' education may in fact create inequality of women because of the inherent differences in the life styles of men and women. No matter how optimistic a woman student...may be, her life pattern is apt to include 10 to 20 years...rearing a family," read a preliminary statement issued by the Committee on Recommendations to the President.

Ironically, on the Fourth of July, 1971, Radcliffe released a statement about the 1971 Amendment, the new contract that adopted the proposal creating co-residency and maintaining Radcliffe's independence--also known as the "non-merger merger."

Bunting's statement in the press release reveals a sentiment that remained a central tenet of Radcliffe until very recently.

"We are pleased with this and other recent evidence of Harvard's commitment to the education of women and I believe that the agreement will also contribute to the education of Harvard undergraduates," Bunting said. "At the same time, Radcliffe retains responsibility for the administration of services and programs...that are of particular interest to women."

After the agreement, with Radcliffe studentsnow living and studying at Harvard, Radcliffeshifted its focus to developing new programs forfemale undergraduates.

Since 1960, Radcliffe has created the BuntingInstitute, the Murray Research Center and avariety of other programs, including fellowships,mentorships and scholarships for undergraduates.

RADCLIFFE: THE NEXT GENERATION

Meanwhile, as women gained more stature inAmerican society, Harvard began taking a greaterinterest in Radcliffe and its alumnae--hoping fora stronger relationship with both.

In 1991, former University President Derek C.Bok delivered a speech at the annual RCAAluncheon, remarking that a true undergraduatepartnership between the two schools was bothunlikely and unnecessary.

"It will simply be too difficult to find enoughimportant tasks for Radcliffe to perform forundergraduates that Harvard cannot supply byitself," he said.

But Radcliffe was not giving up any ground, andHarvard decided that its primary role inundergraduate life needed to be emphasized.

Dean of the Faculty Jeremy R. Knowles raisedeyebrows by attempting to solicit funds fromRadcliffe College graduates in the spring of 1997.And just a few months later, Harvard--withoutRadcliffe--hosted a celebration commemorating 25years of co-residency in the Yard.

With efforts like the Harvard College Women'sInitiative, a $1.25 million grant from donors whowanted to recognize Harvard--not Radcliffe's--rolein women's undergraduate education, Radcliffeeventually conceded that its original mission hadbeen fulfilled.

And this year it finally happened. After twoyears of closed-door discussions, RadcliffePresident Linda S. Wilson and Harvard UniversityPresident Neil L. Rudenstine shook hands on amerger over 100 years in the making.

Only a generation ago, Radcliffe was movingaway from Harvard--convinced that women needed asupportive space. Some alumnae still feel thatway.

But 20 years of Radcliffe women living andlearning side by side with Harvard men transformedtwo distinct institutions into an unnecessarilymuddled entity both schools had trouble explainingto the outside world.

The fears for the future of women'seducation--harbored by the founders of the Annexand recorded in the private journal of AdaComstock--have finally been allayed.

At least that's what the negotiators bargainingwith over a century of Radcliffe tradition arehoping

After the agreement, with Radcliffe studentsnow living and studying at Harvard, Radcliffeshifted its focus to developing new programs forfemale undergraduates.

Since 1960, Radcliffe has created the BuntingInstitute, the Murray Research Center and avariety of other programs, including fellowships,mentorships and scholarships for undergraduates.

RADCLIFFE: THE NEXT GENERATION

Meanwhile, as women gained more stature inAmerican society, Harvard began taking a greaterinterest in Radcliffe and its alumnae--hoping fora stronger relationship with both.

In 1991, former University President Derek C.Bok delivered a speech at the annual RCAAluncheon, remarking that a true undergraduatepartnership between the two schools was bothunlikely and unnecessary.

"It will simply be too difficult to find enoughimportant tasks for Radcliffe to perform forundergraduates that Harvard cannot supply byitself," he said.

But Radcliffe was not giving up any ground, andHarvard decided that its primary role inundergraduate life needed to be emphasized.

Dean of the Faculty Jeremy R. Knowles raisedeyebrows by attempting to solicit funds fromRadcliffe College graduates in the spring of 1997.And just a few months later, Harvard--withoutRadcliffe--hosted a celebration commemorating 25years of co-residency in the Yard.

With efforts like the Harvard College Women'sInitiative, a $1.25 million grant from donors whowanted to recognize Harvard--not Radcliffe's--rolein women's undergraduate education, Radcliffeeventually conceded that its original mission hadbeen fulfilled.

And this year it finally happened. After twoyears of closed-door discussions, RadcliffePresident Linda S. Wilson and Harvard UniversityPresident Neil L. Rudenstine shook hands on amerger over 100 years in the making.

Only a generation ago, Radcliffe was movingaway from Harvard--convinced that women needed asupportive space. Some alumnae still feel thatway.

But 20 years of Radcliffe women living andlearning side by side with Harvard men transformedtwo distinct institutions into an unnecessarilymuddled entity both schools had trouble explainingto the outside world.

The fears for the future of women'seducation--harbored by the founders of the Annexand recorded in the private journal of AdaComstock--have finally been allayed.

At least that's what the negotiators bargainingwith over a century of Radcliffe tradition arehoping