Typical Member of Class of 1971 Is Affluent White Male, Report Says

The average member of the Class of 1971 is a married white male attorney who lives in a metropolitan area with his wife of 19 years, their 1.8 children and the family dog, according to the 25th Reunion Class Survey.

The typical '71 alumnus also belongs to a health or tennis club, makes $124,000 a year, owns a house, drinks 5.5 glasses of wine a week, prefers Sam Adams to all other beers and has sex twice a week, according to the study, which was presented to the class yesterday morning at the Business School's Burden Hall.

Based on an anonymous questionnaire mailed to all members of the class of '71, a 10-member alumni committee chaired by class secretary Chip O'Hare '71 compiled a 45-page demographics report containing both data percentages and respondents' additional comments.

More than 500 alumni answered the questionnaire, which asked 157 detailed questions about all aspects of the graduates' lives.

Alumni reported that their political leanings were overwhelmingly Democratic, leading them to support Michael Dukakis in 1988 and Bill Clinton in 1992 and again this year. While most vehemently opposed the Vietnam War, '71 graduates, especially men, tended to agree with the U.S. position in the Persian Gulf War and in Bosnia.

In terms of business and financial success, the average graduate has a net worth of $831,000 and reports high levels of both career satisfaction and stress. Thirty-six percent say they have had a mid-life crisis. On average, class members work between 46 and 60 hours per week.

When asked to discuss their job satisfaction, alumni returned comments ranging from "I regret becoming a lawyer" to "Satisfied up to now, but it is time for a change."

While 13.5 percent of alumni have been on unemployment compensation at some point since graduation, the class as a whole still saves nine percent of its income. The average alumnus participates in philanthropic enterprises, giving $306 a year to Harvard.

While most alumni reported using drugs in the past, particularly marijuana, few said they still do today. Wine is the alcoholic beverage of choice, but 7.3 percent listed bottled water as their favorite drink. None of the responding women smoke cigarettes, while 10.8 percent of the men do.

As a class which attended Harvard during the turbulent Vietnam era and participated in the student strike of 1969, alumni said their college experience was greatly impacted by the political and social atmosphere of the country.

"Idealized marx, Lenin, Mao," read one anonymous response to a question asking alumni to characterize their political beliefs during their college days.

When asked about the impact of the Vietnam War, one alumnus said that the war "erected a lasting wall between me and those who served." Another wrote that the conflict "spoiled my college years and made me skeptical of all leaders in politics."

Just 1.6 percent of male alumni said they took conscientious objector status, compared to 18.5 percent who were drafted and failed a draft physical and 13.9 percent who received a deferment. Not one drafted member of the Class of 1971 served in Vietnam, and only 1.3 percent of alumni enlisted in the armed forces.

But the memories of their college years are not limited to political concerns, '71 alumni said.

Some alumni recalled incidents of discrimination and harassment at Harvard.

"I'd planned to room with a group of people who decided they didn't want to room with me when they discovered I was gay," one alumnus wrote.

Alumni also voiced concerns still heard on campus today, including the prevalence of overly large courses and the administration's disregard for student worries.

Classes were characterized by "too many big names giving perfunctory lectures in huge rooms," one alumnus remembered. Another cited "impersonality, lack of meaningful support, guidance, direction" and "the University's failure to respond appropriately to student unrest of '68-'70".

Like many college students today, alumni remembered their college years as a time of adventure and fun tempered by bitter disappointment.

"I came back from a date and learned that my freshman roommate had jumped out our third floor window the third week of school," one alumna wrote of her worst college experience. "The week before, I had told my freshman advisor that my roommate was binging and purging (although I didn't know those terms then), and she told me not to worry about it."

Another alumna expressed her most negative experience in cryptic terms: "1st time sex got pregnant."

One alumnus fondly remembered "playing music in the wind tunnels below Adams House."

Asked to give advice to the Class of 1996, alumni responded with wisdom and wry wit.

"You will meet people without Ivy educations," one respondent said. "They are bright also".

"Learn two or three languages," wrote an alumnus. Another quipped, "Marry well"

"Idealized marx, Lenin, Mao," read one anonymous response to a question asking alumni to characterize their political beliefs during their college days.

When asked about the impact of the Vietnam War, one alumnus said that the war "erected a lasting wall between me and those who served." Another wrote that the conflict "spoiled my college years and made me skeptical of all leaders in politics."

Just 1.6 percent of male alumni said they took conscientious objector status, compared to 18.5 percent who were drafted and failed a draft physical and 13.9 percent who received a deferment. Not one drafted member of the Class of 1971 served in Vietnam, and only 1.3 percent of alumni enlisted in the armed forces.

But the memories of their college years are not limited to political concerns, '71 alumni said.

Some alumni recalled incidents of discrimination and harassment at Harvard.

"I'd planned to room with a group of people who decided they didn't want to room with me when they discovered I was gay," one alumnus wrote.

Alumni also voiced concerns still heard on campus today, including the prevalence of overly large courses and the administration's disregard for student worries.

Classes were characterized by "too many big names giving perfunctory lectures in huge rooms," one alumnus remembered. Another cited "impersonality, lack of meaningful support, guidance, direction" and "the University's failure to respond appropriately to student unrest of '68-'70".

Like many college students today, alumni remembered their college years as a time of adventure and fun tempered by bitter disappointment.

"I came back from a date and learned that my freshman roommate had jumped out our third floor window the third week of school," one alumna wrote of her worst college experience. "The week before, I had told my freshman advisor that my roommate was binging and purging (although I didn't know those terms then), and she told me not to worry about it."

Another alumna expressed her most negative experience in cryptic terms: "1st time sex got pregnant."

One alumnus fondly remembered "playing music in the wind tunnels below Adams House."

Asked to give advice to the Class of 1996, alumni responded with wisdom and wry wit.

"You will meet people without Ivy educations," one respondent said. "They are bright also".

"Learn two or three languages," wrote an alumnus. Another quipped, "Marry well"