Bust Likely at Women's Center

As support grew for the women occupying the Architectural Technology Workshop at 888 Memorial Drive, speculation began to mount yesterday that a bust will come by Monday.

Informed sources reported last night that discussions with the Administration about alternatives to a bust have now broken down.

In a meeting at the Women's Center last night an ad hoc group of supporters offered the women occupying the building $5000 to subsidize a women's center in a new location. The offer will stand whether or not the women are removed from the present site.

Crisis Manager

Members of the ad hoc group, mostly women from the Harvard community who asked not to be identified, indicated that they had been in contact with University officials, including Archibald Cox '34, Harvard's crisis manager. They said that they had offered to use the $5000 to rent the building at the Treelands site from Harvard.

However, the women said that Cox told them their plan was unacceptable. In addition, he spoke to one of the women in the group last night and asked her to ascertain if the women in the building would prefer Harvard police or Cambridge police in the event of a bust. As of last night's meeting the women in the center remained undecided about Cox's alternatives.

In addition, women from the ad hoc group reported discussions with other University officials who felt that pressure for a bust is mounting within the Administration. These sources cited President Pusey's return to Cambridge as an important factor in the growth of this sentiment.

Graham

Also last night the women at the center met with Saundra Graham, president of the Riverside Planning Team. Graham had previously denied any connection with the occupiers of the building. But last night Graham, acting in a unofficial capacity, appeared to have ironed out her differences with the women.

Graham told the women that with their intervention the Riverside community feared that it would lose its role in negotiations with Harvard over low-income housing to be built on the Treelands site. The women then agreed to clarify their housing demand so as to stress that the talks should take place directly between Harvard and the community.

At the same time, Graham told the women that she plans to issue a statement to the press today deploring police brutality against any group working in the community's interest.

In reply to an 11-page statement issued Thursday night by Cox, Sarah Raney, attorney for the women, said, "Professor Cox says that Harvard is coming to the point where police action may be unavoidable and apparently seeks to create the impression that a number of other alternatives were considered and found impossible.

"In fact, every solution proposed fordiscussion by the women has been rejected by Harvard.... I hope that Harvard is not bent on getting its way by force and foreclosing the possibilities for continued discussion and peaceful resolution that still exist."

Cox

Meanwhile, secrecy shrouded Cox's activities yesterday. Most members of the Administration reported no contact at all with him. Only Daniel Steiner '54, General Counsel to the University, said that he had been in close consultation with Cox.

"We've been working on our problems, but taking no steps," Steiner said yesterday. Cox himself refused to comment on his activities or to reveal with whom he talked about the matter.

Despite the increased likelihood of a bust, the women at the center are planning a full complement of weekend activities. These will include canvassing the Riverside community on Saturday and a "kid's day" on Sunday.