Hall becomes defensive when he confronts any suggestion that he may be too gadget-oriented. "You try these things, but nobody gets pushy, nobody is insensitive to students or staff," he says. "You try to do it with saving and efficiency in mind, but if it doesn't work out, all right, fine. As far as I'm concerned, there's no harm done."

Part of Steve Hall's problems stems from the fact that he often is too direct and overly blunt with people. He does not try to mask or gloss over his feelings, as so many in University and Mass Halls do; instead he often says things on impulse, without calculating how people will react to them. This problem has led Hall into some sticky situations when, for instance, he has been called by The Crimson for comment on a volatile story. Bok and others in Mass Hall have recognized this and have encouraged Hall to quell his impulse to express his gut reactions. For example, in a confidential memo relayed from Daly to Bok, Robin Schmidt, assistant vice president for government affairs, advised in September 1974 that the Bok administration should continue to head off some of Hall's comments that appear to ignore the "scholarly concerns" of members of the Harvard community.

But aside from public comments, Hall's private manner has strained his relations with some administrators.

Hall's relations with University Hall have become particularly strained on several occasions during the past few years. Two years ago, when the College administration was considering whether to lengthen Christmas or semester break in order to cut down on energy costs during the height of the crunch, some in University Hall felt that Hall was meddling too much in their affairs. At a press conference to announce the decision to extend Christmas vacation, Dean Rosovsky finally tried to quiet Hall, saying flatly, "Now Steve, I don't think we want to air our dirty laundry in public."

Hall and Richard G. Leahy, associate dean of the Faculty for resources and planning, have been at odds with each other on a number of different issues. The biggest public flap between the two involved a two-year argument over what type of storm wondows to instail in some of the Houses.

Hall's relations with Bok's other vice presidents are, for the most part cordial, although Daly has, on occasion, strongly criticized Hall's actions. Hall shrugs off any conflicts he has had with Daly: "Oh, Chuck will pop off about me, but that's Chuck. That's Chuck Daly. Christ, you wouldn't want a marshmallow around here."

Hall feels closest to Champion, partly because their jobs overlap in many areas, but also because Hall has enormous respect for Champion. Still, possibly because he is closest to Hall, Champion has been the one to take the initiative in quieting Hall's overzealous experiments, as he did in the case of the palm print machine.

While some of Hall's most severe critics call for his ouster, the prospects of President Bok taking any action to move Hall out of his job are virtually non-existent. Bok has reportedly expressed concern about some of the problems Hall has had in relating to parts of the community, but sources close to Bok say he feels that this problem, on balance, is relatively minor when contrasted with the money Hall has saved for the University.

There is, at least publicly, a unanimous belief among members of the Corporation, the Board of Overseers, and the Overseers' Visiting Committee for Administrative Services that Hall has performed invaluable services for Harvard. One source said recently that most of the members of these groups are aware that Hall has some difficulties and that there is resentment towards some of his programs, but that there is no sentiment for Hall's leaving.

Amory Houghton Jr. '50, chairman of the Overseers' visiting committee said last week that Hall is "one of the two or three most outstanding persons in the country in the 'other side' of University administration." Houghton said that people in some faculties are always bound to be sensitive to efforts to centralize operations at Harvard, but that "all you have to do is ask the question: 'What would the overhead cost be otherwise?'" The individual faculties can no longer foot the skyrocketing costs for the services Hall has efficiently centralized, Houghton said.

Hall says it is his job to be in the thick of controversy, to go out and actively try to change things. "One way to look at it is to say, 'I should not be involved in any controversy, I should be friends with everybody who could affect my destiny.' Then I can hang in there and not much would get done. I don't think Harvard deserves that or that Bok intended that," he says. Hall says he came here for the excitement and when he did he knew he had to expect to take flak: "This is a top place... You really have to have your information straight or you get decimated. I really wanted to see if I could take the flak that comes your way and all the tensions and problems." In the end, Hall almost seems to be convinced that the criticism he endures is an occupational hazard, not something he personally helps bring on: "Hey," he says, "I just appreciate the fact that the job I'm in, if you try to please everybody, you'll end up in a strait jacket and get carted off somewhere.