Helping Boston After School

We strongly commend Harvard for its participation in a $23 million effort to expand afterschool programs for the children of Boston. The Boston After School For All Partnership brings the University together with 11 other donors to improve and expand opportunities for Boston's youth. Though likely motivated by its desire to stay on good terms with its neighbors, Not only will Harvard's $5 million contribution help Harvard's public relations, it will also help thousands of Boston schoolchildren to enjoy quality afterschool activities that their school districts would otherwise be unable to afford. Afterschool activities contribute immensely to the academic experience, and we are glad that Harvard has chosen this project for its generosity.

However, Harvard's decision to aid the city across the river has led to no small measure of discontent among its more immediate neighbors. By a chance of scheduling, at the same time as Harvard announced its $5 million donation for Boston, it was also planning an announcement for a $100,000 investment in a Cambridge summer school program. The disparity in funds led Cambridge Mayor Anthony D. Galluccio to express his "extreme disappointment" with the move, and Councillor Kathleen L. Born said March 19 that she was "shocked and dismayed" by Harvard's decision to leave Cambridge out of the deal.

It seems ironic that an act of generosity could inspire such tensions. But Harvard does have an interest in maintaining strong relations with Cambridge, since the city's decisions have significant effects on the University. Moreover, the schoolchildren of Cambridge are certainly no less deserving than their Boston counterparts. The University should therefore strengthen its commitment to Cambridge afterschool programs so that its efforts here are at least proportional to the Boston initiative.

However, Harvard has one resource in the afterschool arena that has not yet been mentioned: its students. Harvard undergraduates already operate a plethora of afterschool programs for area children, many under the umbrella of Phillips Brooks House. These student groups serve as ambassadors to the community and bring as much goodwill for free as Harvard could achieve with its millions. For the students who choose to spend their free time composing study plans and traveling to needy schools, increased University support would be a strong nod of support for a worthy cause. And for Harvard, investing in these student-run programs would be an effective and easy way to further its good name.

In the meantime, $5 million is an excellent start.