Hunt Defends House Listing Policy of PBH

Douglas W. Hunt '55, graduate secretary of Phillips Brooks House, denied yesterday that the PBH housing registry kept discriminating landlords on its list in contradiction to its declared policy. "We keep them on the list only because we are approaching the problem in a different manner, through educating them," Hunt added.

Hunt challenged statements made earlier by Robert L. Powell, Negro physicist, who asserted that PBH refused to do anything about discriminating landlords.

Hunt said that Powell, in his fruitless five-month search for housing, must have failed to make full use of the facilities that PBH offers. He cited a special committee for foreign and non-white students with housing problems. "It's hard to see how he could have missed all the signs directing students with problems to this committee and the Cambridge Civic Unity Committee," Hunt added.

One Hundred Per Cent Placement

"Our committee placed every one of more than 100 Harvard students who asked for aid this fall, and I'm certain we could have taken care of Powell," Hunt declared.

Mrs. David Clark, secretary for the registry, collects data on each landlord who is reported discriminatory. "When we have enough information, we begin working with the discriminators," Mrs. Clark explained. Mrs. Catherine T. Johnson, executive director of the Civic Unity group, helps Mrs. Clark with difficult cases.

If all attempts to convince the landlord to accept foreign and non-white students fail, he is usually taken off the list. Mrs. Clark added, however, that the lack of available apartments precludes removing many listings of this type.