The two other attract ions in the saturday show--the Harvard band and the football team it self-are for the most positive about the presence of cheerleaders. Mike McClung, band drill master, says the approt between the two groups is improving all the time. "At first, it was only natural for the hand--which had been the only student activity at football games for years--to feel its territory was being infringed upon. But now we recognize that these people are having a great time and admirably entertaining the crowd so we repest them for it."

Football players also seem to appreciter the cheerleaders. However, one offensive lineman points to a problem the squad poses for Jor Restic's charges. "Sometimes when we get doun near the other team's end zone, one of as will look toward the end zone and see the cheerleaders. That kind of sight can make it awfully tough to concentrate on the multiples."

Other members of the Harvard community are not so load of the cheerleaders. Car of Owens, a staffer at the Women's Clearinghouse, believes cheerleading is often degrading to women and sometimes the froof of sexual exploitations "I find it disturbing that the women wear those short little skirts while the men wear long pants. Obviously the could weather affects both sexes equally. The women are being exploited." She adds that cheerleading has traditionally been a way for men to deny women participation in more serious sports.

But the cheerleaders don't feel they are being exploited or provocative. Ho points out that the women themselves choose their own uniforms. "I've never sen cheerleaders in anything but skirts," she says. "Besides, our uniforms are hardly what you'd call racy. It's nothing close to the Dallas Cowboy girls. Most of the women say cheerleading requires skill. and a few--like gymnast Goodall--participate seriously in other sports.

The male cheerleaders are not without their critics either "Often when you fell another guy you're a cheerleader you get a little snicker in response." says Lreh. It's hard for some people here to deal with the last that men can lead cheers too. "But frch who comes from less, says that southerners view men as an integral part of cheerleading. Down south men do the cheers along with the girls, they just don't stand around and use the megaphones as we do for the most part here. It's just a different come potion what cheerleading is all about.

The male cheerleaders are just as athletic, if not more so than their female counterparts. Friedman runs track for Harvard and sophomore Barry Bausano is a talented wrestler. In addition, swimming sensation Larry Countryman recently joined the squad. Erelimaintains that some of the lifts and pyramids the cheerleaders perform demand a good deal of athletic ability. "There is enough skill involved to really make it interesting." he says. "Some of the things we do take a couple of months to really get down."

The bottom line for the cheerleading squad is fan appreciation. And that is clearly on the rise. "People really made fun of last year's squad," says Gill. "That hasn't been the case this season. "Ho adds that "it's been getting better and better. We definitely have a more talented group now and the fans are noticing it."

Some might say the cheerleaders would do anything to get Harvard's finicky fans behind them. Two weeks ago during the rain-drenched Cornell game, all the men rolled around in the mud-much to the amusement of bored spectators. But Ereli disputes this claim. "We're out there," he says, "simply to have fun. And that's exactly what we do."