Money makes the world go round

Labor wins a battle

Harvard's two-anda-half year battle against District 65, Distributive Workers of America, which is trying to organize medical area workers, ended in May when the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) approved the union's right to hold an election among Med Area employees.

In a 3-2 decision, the NLRB rejected Harvard's contention that the almost 1100 Med Area workers could seek representation only in a University-wide bargaining unit. The surprise ruling, which overturned a regional board decision upholding Harvard's position, concluded the expensive legal bickering and set the stage for an organizing election on June 29.

Union organizers say they are confident of victory, but Harvard has not given up. Even if District 65 wins the right to represent the Med Area workers, Harvard might refuse to bargain with the union--forcing another round of litigation, this time in the Federal Courts.

Cooperative Coop

The Harvard Cooperative Society may often seem like just another store in the Square, but sometimes it does not act like the co-op it's supposed to be. This spring, student pressure persuaded the Coop to drop J. P. Stevens products from its inventory in support of the Stevens workers efforts to force the company to recognize their union.

Gorski goes

For months, negotiations between the Harvard Police Department union and the force's management were stalled over issues of morale: the union felt morale was too low at that point to even begin negotiating more tangible issues. The policemen blamed their depression on Police Chief David L. Gorski's efforts to increase efficiency, so it shouldn't be that surprising that the morale question was finally resolved after Gorski announced his resignation.

Gorski is headed for the police department of Appleton, Wis., where no one's been depressed for years.

Financial whoopee

For the first time since the fiscal year 1972-'73, the University budget in the last academic year showed a surplus, while the Corporation's portfolio rose $900,000, or 11 per cent, in market value. The endowment rose to $1.4 billion.

FAS deficit

The Faculty of Arts and Sciences reported a $217,000 deficit, a quarter of the $1 million deficit the financial office of the Faculty originally predicted.

Next year, Dean Rosovsky insists that come hell or high water, the Faculty will balance its budget. Last month he reported that the proposed budget for next year included a $350,000 deficit, and sent the budget back to departments for further cutbacks.

Sewer service

Aside from its DNA decision, the City Council didn't make too many waves around Harvard this fall. It did demand that Harvard pay an estimated $74,000 annually for the use of the city's sewers, however. What else could Harvard have used?

'Cliffe jocks

Radcliffe's President Horner has taken over a fundraising drive for an athletic facility on Observatory Hill, which the Planning Office had been unable to raise money for--though somehow it's having less problems with the fundraising for the Soldiers' Field Sports Complex. Horner seems to be much more optimistic about finding funds: the designs for the facility are already underway, and the Observatory Hill sports complex seems likely to become a reality in the near future.

Dollars for DuBois

The DuBois Institute for Afro-American Studies--an organization that has frequently been the source of student protest against the University--began a fund drive to raise $6.9 million for an expanded research program.

Next year: $7000

Inflation even penetrates Ivy covered enclaves, as students and parents learned this spring when Dean Rosovsky announced an increase to $7000 for tuition, room and board next year. College students and their parents will not be the only ones to see their bank accounts dwindling and their loan payments accumulating: tuition also will rise at all the graduate and professional schools.

Expanded education

In an effort to extend its appeal to new social groups, the University Center for Continuing Education began a program this spring for retired people, and expanded its half-summer course offerings. But how much will Harvard make?

Gifts

Harvard continued to lead American universities in grants from outside the University, receiving $59 million this year.

Funds returned

The School of Public Health returned $132,000 in federal funds after an auditing agent found a grant recipient had overcharged the government. Phin Cohen, former associate professor of Nutrition allegedly involved in the grant misuse, had already left the school's faculty.

Happy birthday, us

The Fogg Museum isn't sitting back and taking its 50th anniversary presents gratefully--it's going out and looking for them. It began a $15.7 million fund drive this year for renovation and expansion.

Junior NAACP

A group of Harvard students raised $950 for the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) this year to help finance its appeal of a decision awarding $1.25 million to Mississippi shopkeepers the NAACP allegedly damaged during a 1966 boycott protesting racial discrimination.

Stocks and bonds

The University's Advisory Committee on Shareholder Responsibility (ACSR) offered the Harvard Corporation an unprecedented number of anti-management recommendations on shareholding issues this year, ranging from investment in South Africa to the Arab boycott. But in several key instances, the Corporation refused to heed the ACSR's advice and vote against the management of companies like Mobil, Gulf Oil, General Electric and Manufacturers Hanover.

Five out of six times, Harvard failed to support anti-apartheid shareholder resolutions that would have forced companies to withdraw or stop expanding their operations in South Africa.

And while students on campuses such as Stanford, Hampshire College and Berkely demonstrated against their colleges' holdings in companies with investments in South Africa, students at Harvard seemed to ignore the whole issue.