Assistant Director Of HASCS Resigns

In a move expected since last May, Richard S. Steen recently resigned as assistant director of the Harvard Arts and Sciences Computer Services (HASCS).

Steen, who served as acting HASCS director for two years, was expected to leave after being passed over for the post of director last spring.

Steen, will work at a consulting firm in Cambridge, according to the current director of HASCS, Franklin M. Steen, who is not related to Richard.

HASCS is charged with expanding and maintaining Harvard's link to the Internet--a global data communications network--while policing the network and educating members of the University about its use.

Under Richard Steen's administration, HASCS was plagued with staff and space shortages, budgetary constraints, poor working conditions and low morale.

In January 1994, Steen wrote a confidential memo to the Faculty of Arts and Sciences committee on information technology which painted a bleak picture of the organization.

The memo, obtained by The Crimson, called HASCS "a ship taking on water faster than it can bail it out."

In May, Frank Steen, who held the same position at Yale, was selected as director and chared with solving these problems.

After returning to the position of assistant director, Richard Steen worked on information technology and security committees and was involved in World Wide Web project issues.

Other HASCS staff will assume his responsibilities, Frank Steen said.

"[Richard Steen] was the motivating force behind the student on-line directory project and he was also very much the impetus on the on-line facebook," said Eugene E. Kim '96, president of the Harvard Computer Society.

Frank Steen said the position of assistant director is open, and they have not yet decided how to fill it.

HASCS officials may conduct an outside search to find a new assistant director, or they may promote a current staffer.

HASCS is also currently searching for a new manager for the UNIX systems. Mike Burner, the former manager, resigned during the summer.

Richard Steen declined to comment on his resignation, referring all questions to Frank Steen.

But Frank Steen said, "I do not want to speak for Richard on reasons."