Each Day Unique For Parking Chief

This is the first in a series about working at Harvard.

At 3 p.m. the phone rings in the Harvard Parking Office. "Trouble at Peabody," Robert J. Burns, parking managers, hears. Instantly, Burns dashes down to the Peabody Terrace garage.

"There is no average day--you never know what's going to come up." Burns says afterwards. This day, someone inadvertently shut the power off at Peabody, leaving the gate locked. Mission accomplished, Burns returns within an hour.

Burns's office, in the basement of Gray's Hall opposite Harvard police headquarters, displays appropriate clutter. Ongoing construction in crowded Cambridge has not made life any easier for the parking office.

While Burns readily admits that his job is sometimes "a no-win proposition," he adds that he enjoys working with the Harvard community, particularly the undergraduates.

"It's a big plus working with students and faculty--I haven't scene any arrogance at all," he says as he drags on his Chesterfield non-filter.

Burns and his staff of 16, including eight student monitors, work with the Harvard police to take care of the University's 5300 parking spaces.

This year, students, faculty, staff and tenants hold about 4200 of the spaces. Burns's staff handles parking for all of Harvard except the Medical School, which has a separate office.

"The total number of parkers is down about 3 per cent this year, what with the gas crunch and construction. There has been an increase in carpooling." Burns says. His office compiles lists of prospective carpoolers in given areas for interested commuters.

The department performs several odd jobs regularly. "Someone will leave his lights on in a garage, and we'll check the plate and sticker lists, or someone will park in a professor's space, or students will park on the street and get tagged or towed. We deal with all these things," he says.

Burns points out that Harvard receives no money from towing. "Pat's Tow Service does all that," he says. Prominently displayed in the parking office is a letter from the tow service dated Oct. 20, 1977, which states, "We are unable to accept checks from Harvard students..." Burns explains that every check was bouncing, and "Pat was getting burned."

When, in rare instances, Burns encounters a continuing "flagrant violation" with an undergraduate, he usually contacts the proctor or senior tutor, "and then I get good results."

The parking office also has good rapport with the Harvard police. "Saul [L. Chafin, Chief of University Police] has made a world of difference since he got here," Burns says