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Core Book May Not Outlast Low Undergraduate Demand

The booker , which was made available for the first time last fall, is scheduled to appear on its spring version today. The fist issue appeared last September to sparse student demand, and was a considerable financial loss.

Wilcox said that the project in experimental, funded by a Core budget that does not come out of student tuition funds.

"The question is whether all the work that goes into the project is worth it. It appears that in the fall it wasn't. If it's not profitable, it won't go on, "Wilcox added.

Wilcox said yesterday he undertook the project to save students "running from course to course" during "shopping week," and also to facilitate Core course staffing by giving professors a better idea of the size of a course's enrollment.

He also explained that it "encouraged" professors to get their syllabi into printed form sooner than they might otherwise.

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But he said that the future of the project despoils on student interest and "whether the cost of this thing can be incorporated into the Core budget" though sales to students.

Last September the Core program made available 2000 copies of the booklet at $5, but sold only 600, said Becky Zaikia-Wilson, Wilcox's staff assistant. She explained that overhead was high because the syllabi were delivered late and had to be photocopied rather than sent to a printer.

One thousand copies went to the Admissions Office, where they are currently being distributed on a limited scale to alumni who conduct Harvard interviews. Assistant Director of Admissions Marsha H. Connolly said yesterday, "I'm sure they won't go to waste," she added.

Only 1000 copies of the spring semester booklet have been printed, and a $3 a copy, Wilcox said he expects them to sell more briskly. Because it is printed on rag paper, Wilcox explained, overhead was lower, making the booklet "an ephemeral document at best."

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