Northwestern Also Trims Its Ivy Problems

While the crisis atmosphere provoked by structural damage to Harvard buildings caused by ivy plants has abated in Cambridge this fall, other college administrators across the country have begun to follow Harvard's attack on the leafy culprit--most recently at Northwestern University in Evanston, III.

A Northwestern vice president said yesterday that "ivy was trimmed down quite a bit on two or three buildings," because those buildings--a sorority and dormitories--were being repainted.

"We usually trim away the ivy from windows and bricks so we can fix loose mortar and open the windows," added an official of Northwestern's Buildings and Grounds department.

But Asst. Vice President of Student Services Bruno Adams said Northwestern has no plans for full-scale removal of the plants, as Harvard had planned for some buildings last spring. "In fact, all of our new buildings have had ivy planted around them," he added.

Harvard began its ivy removal when administrators discovered mortar deterioration on ivy-covered buildings.

The decision sparked loud protests from students and alumni and drew national media coverage of the student Committee to Save Harvard's Ivy

The organization claimed victory earlier this fall when University officials conceded to allow remaining vines to grow back as high as the first-floor level, saying that a short height would pose no structural threat