The Athletic Department, meanwhile, vows that for a mere $7 million the stadium at Soldiers Field will be ready for the September 18 home opener against Columbia. From the looks of the place, however, it may be a standing-room only crowd no matter how many people show up. Concrete decay in the 79-year-old facility created a publicly acknowledged danger of collapse last season, so the school decided to put in new structural supports in addition to replacing all of the seats. Like other buildings, the stadium had not received the attention it needed earlier because of a recently abandoned policy of "deferred maintenance," under which the University had forgone all but the most dire repair jobs. Safety and ever-increasing construction costs persuaded officials to end the postponements and get on with the inevitable.

One indication of Harvard's current preoccupation with renovations came when Dean of the College John B. Fox Jr. '59 dropped by the Crimson building this summer for a visit. Emerging onto the sun-deck at 14 Plympton St.. the 6-ft. 7-inch administrator immediately hopped up on a narrow ledge to examine the Crimson's rather ancient roof. "It's in a lot better shape than most of the Houses," the dean said, shaking his head.

Harvard in Washington

Economist Martin S. Feldstein '61 left the noisy streets of Cambridge this summer for the hushed conference rooms of the White House, where he will remain indefinitely as one of President Reagan's ranking economic advisors. The prominent conservative theorist faces perfunctory Senate confirmation hearings this month before he takes over as head of the President's Council of Economic Advisors Feldstein, who joins a large contingent of Harvard-affiliated advisors in the Administration, plans to return to his post in the Economics Department within two years--the maximum allowed for those who wish to retain tenure.

Like his predecessor Murray Weidenbaum, who resigned to return to teaching. Feldstein is known for his agreement with the Administration's efforts to trim deficits by cutting non-defense spending. But government analysts are unsure how Feldstein will handle two issues which apparently discouraged Weidenbaum during his tenure, the Administration's enthusiastic predictions of economic recovery in the face of high unemployment and interest rates: and the President's determination to extend his overall tax-cut program through a planned third year.

Nuclear Freezing

The debate over American nuclear arms policy cooled off somewhat while the White House scrambled to keep up with personnel problems in the State Department and the war in the Mideast. But at Harvard, there was action on two fronts in the drive to educate the public on questions of warheads and deterrence.

President Bok commissioned five prominent professors to write a definitive layman's guide to nuclear-related issues. Bok had announced his intention to use Harvard's resources in this effort during his June 10 Commencement address. Largely at Bok's behest, the Kennedy School of Government has already begun a program to brief journlists on the nuances of nuke-talk.

"We will not emphasize any one argument or take a partisan point of view." Samuel P. Huntington Dillon Professor of International Affairs and one of the authors, said in July. "Our aim is to provide an intelligent framework for this very important debate."

While the professors mobilized for an early 1983 publication date, student anti-nuclear activists maintained research and lobbying efforts they had begun last school year. One student program organized recently will provide information to voters in 27 selected Congressional districts on how citizens can voice their views on issues such as the proposed freeze on nuclear weapons production.

The Black Guide Episode

Students and a professor at Brown decided last year to compile a guide to colleges designed specifically for Black students. Naturally they approached the heavyweights of the Ivy League for information on undergraduate life. Harvard awkwardly declined to participate, the only Ivy to do so.

Dean Fox decided in July to reverse course and submit answers to a questionnaire sent out by the Brown group, but only after an initial refusal by Dean of Students Archie C. Epps III became public. Fox explained that Harvard originally assuried that the Ivy League would uphold a tradition of cooperating with only two national college guides, one published by the College Board and one by a private firm. He also criticized the research techniques of the Brown group and charged that questionnaires for administrators and students were based on "segregationist and separatist assumptions that special, separate services and organizations of Black students are good and that an institution that does not provide its own minority students or potential applicants a full list of racially segregated activities is not quite on track."

Brown staff members defended their polling methods, saying that they could glean productive information from as few as five student respondents. The group sharply criticized Harvard for having first backed away from the project but said that the information Fox submitted would be used . The book is expected out this fall.

Rapist-Doctors