The B-School Gym

To the Editors of The Crimson:

Across the river, the Business School has unveiled a new, $18 million gymnasium, John S.R. Shad Hall. As the front page of The Crimson (October 16) tersely stated, there is only one catch: "No undergraduates allowed."

What gall. If I had a nickel for every time I've paced the gym floor sidelines at the Malkin Athletic Center (Three basketball/volleyball courts for 5500 non-Quad undergraduates) while waiting for balding, middle-aged, brick-shooting B-School b-ball players to clear the courts and get back to their banking, I'd have $18 million of my own to spend on a new gym.

But I don't Instead, I am left with an injured sense of fair play and the bitter realization that I am being cheated by the B-School. While they have the right to play in my gym, all I'm allowed to do is insult them.

However, I suppose the Business School's uncharitable, exclusive attitude about the new athletic center is appropriate training for tomorrow's self-seeking Fortune 500 members.

Shad Hall is named in honor of the generous John S.R. Shad, who donated $20 million to the B-School in 1987 "to fund a new ethics program," (The Crimson, October 17). Well, John, you can't teach an old dog new tricks. The B-School's ethics haven't changed. "Screw your neighbor" still dominates administrative policy.

Unfortunately, the Business School is not the only problem. Harvard College's athletic facilities are pathetically inadequate. More courts, bigger weight rooms, etc, are needed. We don't need a random housing lottery or a ritzy hotel; we need adequate gyms in which we can fortify our bodies as we tone our minds. Right now, we have just the over-crowded, undersized Malkin and the distant, busy QRAC. Of course, the Law School graciously offers undergrads use of Hemenway Gym. But then again, Hemenway isn't a gym, it's an architectural nightmare--a large closet with two backboards.

Harvard College must place more emphasis on recreational facilities. Until they do, I invite all MAC and QRAC ballplayers to join me in boycotting any B-School interlopers. If you do let them play, be sure to beat 'em big. Eli Karsh '91   Tom J. Hoover '91