Reporter's Notebook

Hockey Flashback: He was no Lane MacDonald, but Dean of the Faculty A. Michael Spence was still an impressive forward when he skated for the Princeton Tigers in the '60s, according to his former coach, R. Norman Wood '54. Wood remembers Spence as a "solid" player with "strong legs" and "good speed."

Of course, "he wasn't built like he is now," Wood said of the now-lanky dean. "He was very stocky."

"You can't really be successful as an administrator if you're in a hurry. People don't want you to do anything too fast... The ability to dawdle is an important one for a dean."

--Professor of History Steven Ozment, discussing Dean of the Faculty A. Michael Spence's first five years in office.

Nobody's Perfect: President Derek C. Bok may be a Stanford University alum, but Harvard officials are still a bit touchy when it comes to their West Coast rival. So when a reporter asked Vice President for Finance Robert H. Scott why Harvard had fallen behind Stanford in fundraising for three straight years, he answered quickly, "We made a mistake or two."

"I cannot talk about matters of metaphysical importance over the phone."

--Eliot House Master Alan E. Heimert '49, after being asked Thursday night about proposed changes in the housing lottery.

Out of State Appreciation: Despite his drastic plummet in the public opinion polls, Gov, Michael S. Dukakis still seems to command the respect of the University of Virginia community. At this week's presidential summit on education held there, Dukakis received sustained applause when he arrived for public events.

"My commitment on no taxes was a federal commitment. States may still need to raise taxes."

--President Bush, as quoted by Gov. Richard F. Celeste (D-Oh.) at this week's education summit.

Thanks Anyway: Geyser University Professor and Corporation member Henry Rosovsky was more than a little surprised to find a team of reporters waiting for him at Logan Airport as he stepped off the 9:30 New York shuttle one night last week. But Rosovsky was not ruffled for long--he answered their questions, and even offered the subway-bound duo a free cab ride home. Too bad he was heading to Newton, and not Cambridge.

Phone Home: Administrators at many colleges said that Student Aid Services (SAS), the private company run by Harvard officials that collected admission and financial aid information to share with other schools, was based somewhere in Boston. But there was no listing for the company in any of the local phone directories. Massachusetts public records said the company was run from 340 Merriam Ave. in nearby Weston, yet it was not listed in that directory, either.

As it turns out, 340 Merriam Ave. was also the home address of Dean of Admissions and Financial Aid William R. Fitzsimmons '67--one of the company's founders and officers.

"Although both the intent and conduct of the Harvard administrators who are involved in SAS have been entirely appropriate, they and I have recognized that there may be some potential for misunderstanding and the external appearance of possible conflict of interest."

--Dean of the Faculty A. Michael Spence, in a statement announcing that three University officials would end their involvement with the private admissions data collecting company they owned.