Charity Drive Delayed Until Spring Term

There will be no Combined Charities Drive this fall.

David M. Dorsen '56 and Edward M. Strasser '56, co-chairmen, announced last night that the campaign--previously staged annually in November--would be postponed until the spring term.

Only $12,000 was donated last year, as compared to $18,000 in 1952. "Most fellows are low on cash during the fall because of big football weekends," Strasser explained. "By moving the campaign to the spring term we hope to catch students when they have more money in their pockets."

By University ruling last autumn, the Combined Charities was forced to ask for money by cash, check, or pledge. Previously, contributions to the drive were collected on term bills under the classification, "Coupon books."

University Law Enforced

University attorneys, however, last year enforced a five-year University law which prohibited the University from acting as a collecting agent for an undergraduate organization.

The University's original action had been caused by fear lest an occasion arise wherein the University would have to take a delinquent student to court for term-bill payment. If it were learned that in one of the items on the bill Harvard was acting as a collecting agent for an outside organization such as a charity, the whole case could be thrown out of court, according to Strasser.

Strasser stated that depriving the drive from using the term bill for collection because of such an extreme possibility was rather naive on the part of the University. "We could almost guarantee," he said, "to make up to the University any loss incurred in this manner."

Strasser and Dorsen also will make a special effort this spring to increase net contributions by cutting down campaign publicity expenses--extremely high in the past. Campaigns in the GSAS and Law School--usually run separately--will be combined under the leadership of the college committee.