"I came to this job with a set of concepts that I thought reflected the times at Harvard," says Epps. He inherited a $600,000 deficit in the Harvard housing budget, a hole he says he has closed roughly half-way since taking over. "This kind of thing was my first priority. I felt, when I came in, that much of the trouble in the University had originated in the College finances and I was concerned that its interests might be neglected," Epps says. "People could have gone into a phase of reaction against it. It was therefore very important to establish its affairs on a sound financial basis."

Epps's duties as dean of Students are somewhat difficult to pinpoint. Charles P. Whitlock, dean of the College, has taken over many student-Faculty matters. And following the merger of Harvard and Radcliffe housing, Genevieve Austin took charge of housing matters--previously under the supervision of the dean of Students. Epps says that this leaves him free to pursue; "other administrative areas."

In his own words, Epps is an ombudsman for students and a general sounding borad for their complaints. He sees himself as an extension of the Commission on Inquiry--a Faculty-appointed body with the same types of duties. "There is a need for some officer in the Administration who understands the way the College works to provide information that would help people find the right place in the bureaucracy," Epps says.

BUT EPPS doesn't like to infringe on the Commission's prerogatives, and usually confines himself to handling minor matters such as complaints about term bill charges and the like. But when Shirley DuBois, widow of black scholar W. E. B. DuBois '95, spoke in Sanders Theater two years ago and whites were denied admittance, Epps found himself faced with something more than a mere housekeeping chore. His response indicated the type of "team player" he wants to be: He funnelled everything to the Commission.

Epps has two new areas of administrative concern under his stewardship. One he calls "student health and welfare." This takes him into the diverse realms of the University Health Services, the Bureau of Study Counsel, and student security. Epps's memorandum on undergraduate security was a major factor in the recent decision to lock up the Yard. "I thought that at a minimum we should ensure people's safety," he says.

Epps says that he also keeps an eye on UHS and its accessibility to students. After the death of Thomas Pickering '74 in a Sever Hall economics class last term, he helped set up new procedures which permit a quicker response to campus medical emergencies. In future emergencies, no University policeman will be needed to evaluate the situation before a physician is dispatched.

On more established lines of duty, Epps serves on both the Committee on Houses and Undergraduate Life and the Administrative Board. During the day, he spends some of his time meeting with students in his role of bureaucratic pathfinder. As the general overseer of all undergraduate organizations, Epps also must confer with students who seek University approval for new organizations.

Epps admits that his ombudsmanship has been less than satisfactory. Student-faculty dialogues have often degenerated into standoffs and as a middleman, he says he feels weight from both sides. Epps's intention to carry through with his "constructively critical" role inside the Administration thus carries discouraging precedents.

ANY EVALUATION of Epps's long-term chances for increased power within the Harvard community must include the question of his race. He is walking down a path previously untraveled by blacks, and he is acutely aware of it. Thus he remains cautious, seemingly passive. In the current brouhaha over the Afro-American Studies Department for example, he has let his colleagues Orlando Patterson and Martin Kilson carry the big guns in the arena of public debate. The presence of Walter Leonard in Massachusetts Hall as President Bok's assistant for minority affairs greatly lessens any pressure on Epps to perform as de facto dean of blacks.

Epps's highest priority now is gaining the trust of other administrators, based on his performance of deanly duties for the Harvard student community. Epps says, however, that he wants to develop closer ties to black undergraduates, while acting in the interest of the entire community. He says he believes that many black students have isolated themselves from the "intellectual strength" of Harvard via self-imposed segregation. Many black students will undoubtedly continue to perceive Epps as "one of them." Epps is disturbed by such sentiments, and remains firm in his priorities. "While I would like to have their friendship, I would be satisfied with their respect," he says.