Part-time appointments could easily benefit men as well as women. There are already loud complaints about professors who spend too much of their time serving on committees, advising in Washington, or doing individual research.

It would serve the university and the Faculty if such professors could institutionalize their absenteeism by becoming part-time Faculty members and part-time whatever else they're doing.

Of course, women should not automatically be assigned to part-time positions. The traditional academic career of full time teaching and research is still an appropriate arrangement for some women-and some men.

Child-care centers might also serve to increase the number of women faculty and administrator's, while taking the distinctive life styles of women into account. These could easily serve all employees of the University, not just Faculty and administration.

Clearly part of the reason there are not more female Faculty members at Harvard is the specific modus operandi and philosophy by which Harvard chooses its senior Faculty. This fact stands out when Harvard is compared with other New England colleges and universities.

A recent survey by the Boston Herald Traveler of 21 New England colleges and universities revealed that, of the coeducational institutions, Harvard had the smallest percentage of tenured women faculty.

Many senior positions at Harvard are not filled by direct promotion of assistant professors. Faculty search committees rely on the suggestions of their members to find whom they consider to be the outstanding scholars in their field. Few male Faculty members are aware of the women in their fields.

Perhaps they should be provided with lists of qualified women.

Considering the strength of the existing prejudices of Harvard's male Faculty members, even the above-mentioned structural changes will not be enough to change the situation in the near future.

A clear statement of policy from the University will be necessary, Princeton, for instance, has expressed a definite intention to hire women faculty and there is now a special administrative officer there working on the hiring of women.

These are the types of solutions the new committee is expected to suggest. In view of its commitment to educate women it is hoped that Harvard will soon start to make use of the potential it has created.