Wilson to Personally Solicit Undergraduate Opinions

One month after returning from a 10-city, nationwide tour to gather alumnae views about Radcliffe College's future, Radcliffe President Linda S. Wilson will begin touring campus tonight to solicit undergraduate opinion.

Wilson will attend informal chats with all interested undergraduates beginning tonight in the Currier House dining hall at 6 p.m. Wilson will meet and greet first-year students in Annenberg Hall tomorrow night and River House residents at Adams House dining hall next Wednesday.

According to Radcliffe spokesperson Michael A. Armini, Wilson plans to do more listening than talking during the chats. As in her tour, Wilson is not expected to disclose much about ongoing negotiations between Radcliffe and Harvard University regarding Radcliffe's status as a college.

"Like the alumnae meetings, it's very open-ended," Armini said. "It's really a chance for President Wilson to listen--yet another opportunity for her to meet with undergraduates."

The meetings have been planned in conjunction with the Radcliffe Student Advisory Board, which includes women from each of the Houses, as well as first-year students. The board has been charged with publicizing the event.

According to Rong Mao '00-'99, who serves on the board, the idea for the chats grew out of October's "Celebrate Radcliffe '98" gathering, where undergraduate attendance was low.

"Basically, we want to reinforce the impression that Radcliffe is not lessening its attention on undergraduates," she said.

Mao said she hopes undergraduates will attend the event, though low turnout will not necessarily change the chats' effectiveness.

"Even [if] just one or two people [attend], at least President Wilson will be able to get some ideas from undergraduates. I think [attendance] will probably be more than that," she said. "If you want to have a really informal chat, you can't have a huge crowd."