This committee has tried to be as quantitative as possible in the evaluation of the relative importance of the various factors that have been identified but this has proven rather difficult. Even such a straightforward question: "would the cost of educating additional students be compensated by corresponding additional tuition payments?" does not produce a straightforward answer. It seems clear that experience will be required to ascertain how serious some of the potential problems really are, and to produce the best solution. Two additional variables are involved. One, the speed with which the number of women students will increase as a result of the recommended policies of equal access and of additional efforts of recruitment of qualified women candidates, has been discussed in the previous section.

The second and very important variable is the serious financial crisis faced by the University as a result of inflation. The duration and degree of seriousness of this crisis will depend of the duration and magnitude of inflation in the future. If the cost of tuition and of student housing keeps increasing at the present rate, what will happen to the applicant pool? Will it become necessary to use existing facilities more efficiently to prevent the student body from including only those most able to pay? Should the applicant pool decrease substantially because of the lower cost of attending public institutions, will excess facilities necessitate major lowering of admission standards? We pose such questions to illustrate how the present economic uncertainty affects the ability to recommend definite plans for the future. Including substantial new investments in physical plant. In fact, it is conceivable that future economic developments will affect undergraduate education at Harvard much more drastically than the changes that are being considered here.

Experience with the effect of the recommended policies on admission and recruitment will resolve many of the uncertainties in the relative importance of the various factors in the decision process. With these considerations in mind, the committee agrees on the following:

1. That while advocating equal access and increased recruiting of women, applicants, we recommend that the size of the College should not be substantially increased at this time.

2. That special recruiting efforts be instituted to attract more physical scientists in general, and more women scientists in particular. There are some other fields, such as economics, which may require special attention.

3. That the admissions organization in conjunction with other appropriate University offices retain flexibility to respond to some of the problems that may arise by small changes in the size of the entering class, by small shifts in emphasis in admission criteria used in the contest of equal access admission policy, and by special recruiting efforts.

We would not expect fluctuations in the number of entering students to exceed fifty to seventy five students. We also do not expect the number of women students to decrease; on the contrary, we expect this number to increase. As discussed previously, we expect the women-to-men ratio to reach a 1.5:1 value within a reasonable period. Implementation of an admission policy of equal access should have little effect on the other admissions policies such as the preference given, other factors being equal, to children of alumnae and alumni as well as to minority groups.

4. That the results of the recommended admission and recruiting policies and their effect on the student body and the University be carefully monitored.

We suggest that a subgroup on the Harvard-Radcliffe Committee on Admissions and Financial Aid be specifically designated by the President-Dean of Radcliffe and the Dean of the Faculty of Arts and Sciences to carry out this monitor role, and that this subgroup report its findings on a yearly basis. We recommend such careful monitoring because of the many uncertainties concerning the detailed effects of equal access admissions on several sectors of the University. We expect such special monitoring to become unnecessary after a few years of experience.

Before deciding on the advisability of a substantial expansion of the College, sufficient information on the effect of the recommended policies should be obtained. One may hope that during this period the economic situation will have stabilized sufficiently to permit a more sensible evaluation of alternatives than is possible today. Should it prove desirable and possible to increase the number of students, a variety of potential methods should be considered. These include increased use of the summer semester and of off-campus living, admission of a larger number of commuters, admission of a larger number of transfer students, construction of a new House, and a number of smaller additions to existing Houses and Dormitories.

Administration:

We have studied in detail the administrative arrangements that have evolved since the 1971 non-merger agreement as they affected Admissions, Financial and Women's Education. Our conclusions, and recommended changes for implementation of a policy of equal access admission, are reported below. Other administrative arrangements resulting from the 1971 agreement were discussed only briefly; we found no obvious problems. Looking at how the new arrangements were implemented we did find instances where more care and sensitivity to such considerations as rank and title could have prevented disappointments. We have used this observation in formulating our recommendations.

Admissions and Financial Aid

Formulation and interpretation of a policy of equal access admissions and financial aid for both Harvard and Radcliffe students require a single Admissions and Financial Aid Committee. Evaluation, admission and award of financial aid under a policy of equal access require a single staff organization. We therefore recommend, unification of the two committees and of the two staff organizations concerned with admissions and financial aid. These conclusions follow from considerations of effectiveness and efficiency; it would at best be extremely time-consuming to make sure that no differences in procedures and attitudes exist in two separate groups. Just as important is the fact that a single Harvard-Radcliffe Admissions and Financial Aid Committee and a single Harvard-Radcliffe Admissions and Financial Aid Office will act as symbols of the commitment of the University to the admission and education of men and women with equal opportunities for both.

The Dean of Harvard-Radcliffe Admissions and Financial Aid, and the members of the Harvard-Radcliffe Standing Committee on Admissions and Financial Aid should be appointed by the President of Harvard University upon the joint recommendation of the President-Dean of Radcliffe and the Dean of the Faculty of Arts and Sciences.