Admissions Targets Cambridge Students

Cambridge public school students are one of the most important groups Harvard's admissions office targets through affirmative action, President Derek C. Bok told city officials at a dinner last week.

Spokesmen for Harvard's admission office and Cambridge's public high school yesterday confirmed Bok's claim, which came in response to a question posed by City Councilor Francis H. Duehay '55.

At last week's dinner at 17 Quincy St., the president's official residence, Duehay reportedly asked Bok about the strength of Harvard's commitment to affirmation action in admitting Cambridge Rindge and Latin graduates.

Harvard considers Cambridge students to be an "extraordinarily high priority," Director of Admissions Laura G. Fisher said yesterday.

"We do everything we possibly can to accept students [from Cambridge]," she said yesterday. "We take in as many [students] as we possibly can."

Local school administrators tend to agree with Byerly Hall. "Harvard's been doing us pretty well," said Henry Lucas, an assistant principal at Rindge and Latin. Every year, the Cambridge public schools send between six and 12 students to Harvard out of a typical class of 510 students, he added.

Overcoming Barriers

"I think Mr. Duehay just wanted to make sure that Harvard is going to continue to encourage local kids to come here," said Mary Ann Jarvis, of Harvard's community affairs office.

Harvard's policy of recruiting Cambridge Rindge and Latin students is nothing new in the relationship between town and gown.

"It was a strong policy even before affirmative action was called affirmative action. We have always outreached to the Cambridge community," Fisher said.

While some students naturally prefer to travel beyond Cambridge's borders for college, other local graduates tend "to hold Harvard in awe," preventing many students from considering Harvard as a possible four-year home, said Jarvis, the university's chief liaison to Boston area schools.

Harvard is the only school which sends representatives to Cambridge Rindge and Latin to conduct admissions interviews in person, Lucas said. While other colleges in the Boston area and the Ivy League send admissions officers to the Cambridge public schools, only Harvard grants a local and an alumni interview for local candidates.

Also unique to Harvard's approach to Cambridge students are the 12 to 15 full-tuition scholarships given to students attending Harvard's summer school, said Lucas. The eight-week program allows Cambridge juniors to think about the possibility of attending college, the public school administrator added.

Room to Work

But Lucas said that the university could do more to help Cambridge students, saying that there were many "less typical" students and many minorities that never considered applying to Harvard.

Fisher said that one major factor limiting thenumber of Cambridge students admitted to Harvardwas the university's desire to make sure that itonly accepted those students "who will be able tothrive here and develop."

"You can't bring in students who will not dowell," she said, noting that fewer nativeCantabrigians were admitted to the college in thepast two years than in previous applicant pools.

"We only want students admitted if they'requalified," he said, adding that he thoughtHarvard could help improve the quality ofCambridge students by providing encouragement foryounger students, including those just enteringhigh school.

Lucas said that he thought Harvard could helpyounger Cambridge students by sharing resouceslike athletic facilities and visiting dignitariesto a greater extent.

"We've never been a hard-sell organization,"Fisher said. "We just try to help students make aninformed decision.