Kirkland's Super Went Too Far

Mail from house superintendents is not unusual. We've all received notes on rules and regulations, from whether microwaves are permissible to what kind of adhesive is legal for wall hangings.

But some Kirkland House students last week received missives of a different kind from their superintendent, Kevin Higgins. To selected students (apparently those who vote in Massachusetts), Higgins sent a political message: vote against rent control in the November referendum.

The message took the form of a xeroxed Boston Herald article accompanied by this scrawled entreaty: "Rent Control in my opinion is illegal. This is one of the reasons the City of Cambridge is called 'The Republic of Cambridge."

Though we suspect Higgins meant the 'People's Republic of Cambridge' (calling something a republic is not usually an insult, after all), we agree wholeheartedly with his sentiment. It is our hope that the ill-conceived scheme called rent control meets a decisive end in November.

And apparently, Higgins' message may have furthered this goal; at least one Kirkland student admitted that she didn't know anything about the issue before receiving the note. "I'll have to think about it now that I've heard of it," said Sarah French "96, a Massachusetts voter. Ah, education takes all forms here at Harvard.

Despite the wisdom and apparent enlightening effect of the Higgins Manifesto, we must admit that we hope it will be a one-time event. Higgins should be free to express his feelings to Kirkland residents by talking to students or even by posting a "Yes on Question Nine" sign in his private office space.

But putting messages in their mailboxes the line, since Harvard employees who oppose Higgins don't have the same access he does. Indeed, making such mailbox-stuffing a regular practice would constitute an abuse of Higgins's position.

What would the response have been if Higgins shared his views on a more controversial topic, such as abortion? Hopefully, we won't find out.