Some Harvard Rent Rates Will Not Rise Until 1982

President Bok has postponed for six months a rent increase in University-owned housing available for junior faculty, staff and graduate students and has appointed a committee to examine Harvard's policy of charging "fair market rate" rents in Botanic Gardens and other housing for University affiliates.

Bok appointed the committee in response to recommendations from Loeb University Professor Archibald Cox, whom Bok appointed in July to evaluate Botanic Gardens tenants' complaints about 21- to 51-per-cent rent increases.

Tenants have complained that rents in Botanic Gardens and other Harvard-owned housing for University affiliates are too high. Linda B. Ramsey, president of the Botanic Gardens tenant association said yesterday, "There isn't much point in providing housing for Harvard affiliates if it's only at the full rate the market will bear."

In his report, Cox called a rent increase scheduled to take effect July 1, 1981, "unfairly burdenson" and "not appropriate for the entire year." Bok accepted Cox's suggestions that the University postpone the increase until January 1, 1982.

Ramsey said that since July some tenants have been protesting rent increases by refusing to pay more than last year's rates. She said University officials have promised in letters that tenants who have been paying increased rent since July will pay reduced rent for the first few months of 1982, when the higher rates go into effect.

Since 1979, the University has charged "fair market rate" rents in all its housing and has not kept them artificially low for Harvard-affiliated tenants. Joe B. Wyatt, Vice president for administration and a member as the rent policy review committee, said yesterday that the only way to assess housing values is to use fair market rates and that the small amount of University housing available to affiliates makes managing subsidies very difficult.

But Gerald M. McCue, dean of the Graduate School of Design and a member of the review committee, said the University "has an interest in providing housing so we are able to attract good junior faculty."

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Cox stated in his report that it would be inappropriate for Harvard to subsidize Botanic Gardens tenants by operating the property at a loss. Last year, the property earned 127.000, and Harvard Real Estate estimates that in 1981-82 Botanic Gardens will make a profit of $72,000.

Members of the rent-review committee include: Philip A. Kuhn, professor of history and of East Asian Languages and Civulizations: Helen F. Ladd, assistant professor of City and Regional Planning; George W. MacCrae, Stillman Professor of Roman Catholic Theological Studies; John H. McArthur, dean of the faculty of Business Administration; Gerald M. McCue, dean of the Graduate School of Design; Dean Rosovsky; Bernard Wolfman. Fessenden Professor of Law; and Joe B. Wyatt, vice president for administration.