To the Editors of The Crimson:

Eric Fried, in his article "Class Conflict a la Harvard," asks: "Are freshmen competitive, grade-hungry overachievers, or are they idyllic, innocent waifs who are 'testing their wings'?" I hope those are not the only two options because we are, on the whole, neither. The problem with Mr. Fried's article arises from his tone. All those condescending remarks about freshmen do not aid his credibility as one who truly cares about the plight of first-year students. As a matter of fact, the overall impression is left that Mr. Fried is much more concerned about the level to which changes in freshman life inconvenience upperclassmen. Clearly, freshman year as it is now set up is not perfect. But the continuing effort to improve it should be conducted by those who are genuinely interested in freshman life, and not by those whose interest is only peripheral. Richard D. Bernstein '81