Wilson Dines With Students, Answers Radcliffe Questions

Radcliffe College President Linda S. Wilson came ready to chat with undergraduates at two scheduled dinners this week, but few students chose to join her at the table.

Wilson greeted six undergraduates at Currier House dining hall Tuesday. Three of these attendees are members of the Radcliffe Student Advisory Board, which helped organize the event.

Ten students, two of whom serve on the Advisory Board, chose to dine with Wilson last night in Annenberg Hall.

In this informal atmosphere--over Harvard Dining Services fare--Wilson was challenged to define a future for her institution.

"In 20 years, how would you envision Radcliffe?" asked Tricia M. Michels '00 at the Currier House event. Michels is not affiliated with the Advisory Board.

"It will be larger," Wilson answered. "It will be doing even more of its own scholarship and research. I think we will be much more international. All of that multiplies the opportunities for undergraduates."

Wilson stopped short of declaring that Radcliffe will still exist as an undergraduate college in her vision of the future.

Michels also questioned Wilson about theproperty that Radcliffe owns, but Harvarduses--property that includes Currier House.

Wilson explained that Radcliffe is anindependent entity that entered into an agreementwith Harvard University in 1977, allowingRadcliffe to retain ownership of its 20 acres ofCambridge real estate.

"We own all this property [in the Quad], and weallow Harvard and Radcliffe students to livehere," Wilson said. "It's really aHarvard-Radcliffe House system. In this community,people use shorthand a lot. It tends to beshortened to the House system or the Harvard Housesystem."

"At Annenberg Hall, first-year students claimedthey do not understand Radcliffe or the servicesit offers.

"One of my main concerns as a first-yearstudent, even though I'm on the Radcliffe StudentAdvisory Board, is that I'm not aware of most ofthe programs you offer," said Marissa J.Shorenstein '02. "I still have to ask, 'What areyou talking about [at Advisory Board meetings]?"

Wilson said Radcliffe publicizes, but busystudents may not notice the offerings in a floodof other information.

"This is a crowded calendar," she said. "It'svery difficult to get your attention."

Wilson cited the Radcliffe Web site as a sourceof easily accessible information.

Julie S. Wecsler '02 questioned Wilson atAnnenberg as to why the website is pink--a colorstereotypically associated with women.

Wilson replied that she had not designed thepage and was not sure of the reason behind thecolor selection.

"Maybe it was once red and faded to pink,"Wilson quipped.

Students at the Currier House dinner alsoinquired about Radcliffe's efforts to increase thenumber of women on the Faculty.

Wilson asserted that Harvard's resistance topromoting its own junior faculty lowers women'schances of gaining tenure.

According to Wilson, Harvard prefers to lurestar professors from other universities to filltenured posts-a move women are not always willingto make.

"Women are not as movable from institution toinstitution, and [even] men are not as movable asthey used to be," she said. "One of the thingswhich has opened things up is that every timeHarvard clicks their fingers and says 'come,'[professors] don't always come. Their lives aremore complicated than that."

If You Build It?

Members of the Advisory Board said they werenot displeased with the events, despite the lowturnout.

"It was very informal," said Advisory Boardmember Rong Mao '99. "I'm just surprised thatshe's so approachable."

After the Currier House event, Mao said shehopes that more students will attend a dinner chatwith Wilson at Adams House, scheduled for nextWednesday night.

According to Felicity Aulino '00, the advisoryBoard organized the events to gather studentopinion in the midst of recent negotiationsbetween Radcliffe and Harvard regarding theirevolving relationship.

"Radcliffe is in the middle of restructuringand is in a process of growth and change," Aulinosaid. "This was a means of proving that [Wilson]was interested in the student body's input."

Yet many who did not attend the event said theyfelt the events' publicity, which was handled bythe Advisory Board, was inadequate.

"I didn't know about it," said Karen M. Rice'99, a Cabot House resident who did not attend theCurrier gathering. "Big events like that usuallyhave posters everywhere. I didn't see any."

The Advisory Board placed notices in Housenewsletters, tabled in some Houses and hungposters around campus inviting students to "Chowwith the Pres.

Michels also questioned Wilson about theproperty that Radcliffe owns, but Harvarduses--property that includes Currier House.

Wilson explained that Radcliffe is anindependent entity that entered into an agreementwith Harvard University in 1977, allowingRadcliffe to retain ownership of its 20 acres ofCambridge real estate.

"We own all this property [in the Quad], and weallow Harvard and Radcliffe students to livehere," Wilson said. "It's really aHarvard-Radcliffe House system. In this community,people use shorthand a lot. It tends to beshortened to the House system or the Harvard Housesystem."

"At Annenberg Hall, first-year students claimedthey do not understand Radcliffe or the servicesit offers.

"One of my main concerns as a first-yearstudent, even though I'm on the Radcliffe StudentAdvisory Board, is that I'm not aware of most ofthe programs you offer," said Marissa J.Shorenstein '02. "I still have to ask, 'What areyou talking about [at Advisory Board meetings]?"

Wilson said Radcliffe publicizes, but busystudents may not notice the offerings in a floodof other information.

"This is a crowded calendar," she said. "It'svery difficult to get your attention."

Wilson cited the Radcliffe Web site as a sourceof easily accessible information.

Julie S. Wecsler '02 questioned Wilson atAnnenberg as to why the website is pink--a colorstereotypically associated with women.

Wilson replied that she had not designed thepage and was not sure of the reason behind thecolor selection.

"Maybe it was once red and faded to pink,"Wilson quipped.

Students at the Currier House dinner alsoinquired about Radcliffe's efforts to increase thenumber of women on the Faculty.

Wilson asserted that Harvard's resistance topromoting its own junior faculty lowers women'schances of gaining tenure.

According to Wilson, Harvard prefers to lurestar professors from other universities to filltenured posts-a move women are not always willingto make.

"Women are not as movable from institution toinstitution, and [even] men are not as movable asthey used to be," she said. "One of the thingswhich has opened things up is that every timeHarvard clicks their fingers and says 'come,'[professors] don't always come. Their lives aremore complicated than that."

If You Build It?

Members of the Advisory Board said they werenot displeased with the events, despite the lowturnout.

"It was very informal," said Advisory Boardmember Rong Mao '99. "I'm just surprised thatshe's so approachable."

After the Currier House event, Mao said shehopes that more students will attend a dinner chatwith Wilson at Adams House, scheduled for nextWednesday night.

According to Felicity Aulino '00, the advisoryBoard organized the events to gather studentopinion in the midst of recent negotiationsbetween Radcliffe and Harvard regarding theirevolving relationship.

"Radcliffe is in the middle of restructuringand is in a process of growth and change," Aulinosaid. "This was a means of proving that [Wilson]was interested in the student body's input."

Yet many who did not attend the event said theyfelt the events' publicity, which was handled bythe Advisory Board, was inadequate.

"I didn't know about it," said Karen M. Rice'99, a Cabot House resident who did not attend theCurrier gathering. "Big events like that usuallyhave posters everywhere. I didn't see any."

The Advisory Board placed notices in Housenewsletters, tabled in some Houses and hungposters around campus inviting students to "Chowwith the Pres.