Peterson Says No Funds Exist For Radcliffe Activities Center

No funds are available to build a new sports and performing arts complex on Observatory Hill near Radcliffe, Dr. Chase N. Peterson, vice president for alumni affairs and development, said yesterday.

Two foundations and several individuals have rejected requests to fund the estimated $5 million center, Peterson said. President Horner yesterday confirmed a report that a potential donor recently rejected her request for funds.

A committee appointed by President Horner in late November to study the possibility of building the center decided it should include a pool, six squash courts, a dance floor, a basketball court, tennis courts, an art studio, and pottery and woodwork rooms, Sarah Wehle '75, a Currier House committee member, said yesterday.

The committee, composed of comasters, undergraduates, and tutors, worked with the Harvard Planning Office on the project. They submitted their proposals to President Horner February 20 in a yet unreleased report entitled "Observatory Hill Site Development Potential," President Horner said yesterday.

In a meeting with Dean Whitlock yesterday, Wehle said she was told indirectly that if the full $5 million could not be raised the cultural facilities would be eliminated. Petersen said he considered construction of the complex "as important as anything we could do for Radcliffe." "The problem with Radcliffe dorms is that the amenities aren't nearby," Petersen said.

Wehle said a questionnaire circulated among the three Radcliffe houses to determine the desire for the center showed favorable results and an overwhelming desire for a pool.

She said that no more committee meetings would be held. "We've done all that was asked of us to do. We've sounded out student opinion and drawn up what was necessary," she said.