Harvard Square Special; McD's Not

How ironic it was to read an editorial decrying "The American Invasion" (Sept. 17) of "Coca-Cola, McDonald's, and Levi's Jeans" in Spain in the same issue that carried an article outlining the steps to bring McDonald's to Harvard Square. By keeping stores and restaurants in Harvard Square diverse and uncommon, it would seem the Harvard Square Defense Fund is doing the students of Harvard as great a service as it provides Cambridge residents. Who would want to go to school, or live, in a mall? Many people, from the teenage punks to the Nobel laureates cited in the latter article, make a conscious decision to study, work, and spend time in Harvard Square because it is special. Students in search of fast food might consider that, like their Harvard degrees, the effort required to get the prize only makes it taste the sweeter. Catherine Schellenberg, Harvard University Staff