University's Bicentennial To Lose Money

Harvard's Bicentennial activities are in danger of losing money because demand for them is lower than University officials expected.

Kirkland House will be opened as a "Bicentennial Inn" from July 28 to September 7 for Harvard alumni and their families, but "unless reservations increase the University will not break even," Bruce A. Collier, assistant dean of the College and director of the project, said yesterday.

Option

He said the original idea was to offer alumni the option of staying at a Harvard House for relatively inexpensive rates, since Boston hotels may be overcrowded.

Nightly rates are $15 for a single room, $24 for a double, and $5 for each extra room for additional family members.

University officials decided late in the spring to undertake the project when a poll of 2000 alumni indicated that the hotel might be successful, Collier said yesterday.

Michael Cronin '75, the Bicentennial Inn manager, said yesterday. "For the first week we have reservations for 20 to 25 guests. We had optimistically hoped for 80 to 100 to break even."

The number of customers for the specially offered cassette taped tour of Harvard called "Revolutionary Harvard Today," is less than the University anticipated, William M. Pinkerton, assistant to the vice president for government and community affairs and Bicentennial coordinator, said yesterday.

Also, an average of only 45 to 50 people a day visit the Harvard Hall exhibit called "Harvard in the Life of its Times," Dennis Kloske '76, a ticket seller at the exhibit, said yesterday