The Bubble, which had a modern tartan track, was one of the best indoor facilities in New England. Okerman says it motivated Harvard trackmen to attend practices regularly throughout the winter months. But "nobody wants to come down to Briggs to work out," he says. In fact, Okerman claims some of the injuries suffered by runners on the track team this winter may have been caused by the poor quality of the dirt track in Briggs Cage.

Okerman believes that the coaches and athletes in the track program were "misled" by the Athletic Department about the situation with the Bubble. He says members of the Athletic Department gave the impression that there was a chance the Bubble might be put up again when there was actually no chance of doing this.

Watson says the Athletic Department has not acted in bad faith in this matter. He says he originally thought there was a fair chance the Bubble could be reconstructed. But it later became clear to him that money could not be raised to reconstruct the temporary Bubble facility especially since the Department plans to construct a permanent indoor track facility within the next few years.

Watson says it is possible that Okerman misunderstood the changing circumstances connected with the Bubble.

The comments made by these participants give an indication of the various interests which must be served by Watson and the Athletic Department. Also, the Harvard alumni, the Radcliffe alumnae, the Faculty of Arts and Sciences, the federal government and many other groups have their say.

This variety of interest groups would make the job of the Athletic Department difficult even if inflation were not eating away at its fixed budget.

So far, the Athletic Department has weathered the storm fairly well. It has started to provide a respectable women's program while continuing to achieve its basic aims in men's sports.

Not only has Harvard continued to allow "maximum participation" in men's sports, but its varsity teams consistently have done quite well within the lvy League. In 1973-74, Harvard's overall intercollegiate record for varsity contests was 155.78-3, for a total percentage of 663. Pennsylvania was the only Ivy League school with a better overall percentage.

But with the pressures it faces, financially and otherwise, can Harvard's athletic program continue to have it both ways? Can the school stick by its avowed policy of "athletics for all" and still field winning varsities?

Maybe.

This is the second of two parts of a feature on the Harvard athletic program. Part I was printed in last Friday's Crimson.