Student Panel Speaks to 30 Visiting Alumni On Strains, Highlights of Undergraduate Life

Four undergraduates shared their perceptions of Harvard last night with a group of 30 alumni brought to Cambridge under the auspices of the Harvard-Radcliffe Today Program.

James J. Cramer '77, Renee M. Landers '77, William V. Larkin Jr. '76, and Eric Maller '76 spoke about their life at Harvard to the Cronkhite Center audience.

The pressures of competition at Harvard, which one alumnus termed a "sink or swim" situation, was a popular topic for the panelists. Landers said that "a lot of it comes from the students themselves," and not from the faculty.

Maller proposed a change in the scholastic calendar to relieve the pressure. Such a change would eliminate the current policyof scheduling the reading and examination periods after Christmas recess, Maller said.

Following the speeches, alumni questioned the panel about student attitudes toward undergraduate life, graduate school, and big business.

Deans Rosovsky and Whitlock spoke to the alumni earlier in the evening concerning undergraduate education and counseling. Hale Champion, vice president for financial affairs, spoke on the budget.

Tomorrow morning the alumni will eat breakfast at Dunster House where they will listen to President Bok and speak informally with the students.