Dean Rosovsky has appointed a financial consultant to help the Department of Athletics deal with budgetary problems that could lead to the elimination of a varsity sport.

Robert B. Watson '37, director of athletics, said yesterday that "we have pared off a lot of fat now," but that the financial crunch that has hit all areas of the Faculty of Arts and Sciences "may very well mean we may have to drop a team." Watson did not say which sport might be cut from the department's slate.

Watson said he has talked two or three times to James N. Bailey '69, the consultant Rosovsky appointed, and added, "I'd be happy if there's anything we can do to save money for the dean."

Eye Toward Cuts

Rosovsky said Bailey will be reviewing the Athletics Department's budget with an eye toward possible cuts. "Athletics is a big money item, and we must make sure we use the money in the best way possible," he said.

"Other large departments have large staffs to do their financial work," Rosovsky said. "Athletics has so many different facilities and sports that it's very complex and I just thought they could use some help on a day-to-day basis to devise a better system."

"It's not shameful to use a consultant. I might use him too," he said.

Watson said he is "wholeheartedly in favor" of having a financial consultant for the Athletics Department.

Bailey, a former assistant senior tutor in Eliot House who played one year of varsity basketball and track in his undergraduate days, works in an independent consulting firm and has done work for the Harvard Management Co.

Bailey yesterday called his Harvard athletic career "checkered." He said he "wasn't any star jock," but was very familiar with the Athletics Department's operations.

Robert E. Kaufmann '62, assistant dean of the Faculty for financial affairs and another former varsity athlete, said yesterday that Bailey "will provide a fresh perspective" on the Athletic Department's costs and revenues.

Kaufmann also said cutting a varsity sport is possible. "In tight financial circumstances the Department of Athletics is as vulnerable as anyone to cuts," he said.

Bailey said he will also be reviewing the impact a current fund drive--which could bring up to $35 million to the Athletic Department--will have on the department's managerial structure.

He said he will probably try to "adjust the Athletics Department's budget as I go along" because he is "not a great believer in massive reports."

The Department of Athletics now gets about $2 million a year from the Faculty.

Rosovsky would not say how much he is paying Bailey, but Kaufmann said Bailey should be able to save the Faculty more money than it will pay him.