City Asks More Say in Housing

Cambridge City Councillor Barbara W. Ackermann said yesterday that the three SDS expansion demands were not inclusive enough and called for the involvement of the community in every stage of any Harvard expansion plans.

Speaking at the Harvard-Community Relations Colloquium, Mrs. Ackermann said that Harvard must stop its reduction of the current stock of low-cost housing. She added that there was presently more danger from individual students than from University expansion.

Both of Mrs. Ackermann's demands, as well as the SDS demand for the rolling back of rents in Harvard-owned apartments to their January 1, 1968 level, will be included within the four housing resolutions to be voted on at today's meeting at Soldiers' Field.

Charles P. Whitlock, Assistant to the President for Civic and Governmental Affairs, said at the Colloquium that the majority of Harvard's faculties were not interested in any University plans for low-income housing up until the events of the past few days.

Whitlock spoke of Harvard's acquisition of properties for eventual demolition and the building of higher density housing. He said that current rent ceilings limited eligibility for federal subsidy made it doubtful that this would be low-income housing.

Also on the Colloquium panel, James Q. Wilson, professor of Government, cited the example of the University of Pennsylvania moving into housing with federal assistance and other subsides that Harvard has been reluctant to apply for. He said this loss of large federal grants seemed due to the Corporation's "aggrevation with red tape" and asked for a "more vigorous search for federal funds."

Wilson said he had hopes that the Corporation would respond to the amount of pressure on campus in allocating its funds. He had no immediate suggestions for further action if it does not respond.