March 10--Meselson, after weeks of poring over snow samples, declares that the source of the coloration is not a Harvard chem lab at all but The Corn Popper on Mt. Auburn St., whose "secret process" for flavoring popcorn strawberry, cinnamon and blueberry involves releasing puffs of food coloring, cinnamon and blueberry involves releasing puffs of food coloring into the atmosphere. In developing a new line, "We got a little out of control, I guess," apologizes the store owner.

March 15--Future Faculty Dean Watt visits Cambridge to get acquainted with the terrain. He takes particular care to visit the Harvard Forest and the Arnold Arboretum, and listens with great attention as Crimson Key tour guide tells him about last year's controversy over ivy on the Houses. He says little during the visit, but pronounces himself eager to "get in there and start shaking up all these dusty old profs."

April

April 2--Returning from spring break, students find work has begun outside the Science Center on the Large "suspended mist" fountain planned earlier in the fall. Workers dig out a large circle and start laying plumbing, while curious passers by block entrance to the Science Center. Meanwhile, the Radcliffe Office of the Arts has anticipated the interest in "community art" in distributing grant money, a large chunk of which has gone to Christo, the avant-garde artist, to visit Harvard and wrap the Science Center.

April 3--Christo arrives on campus, but on being shown the Science Center he is infuriated. "That's not a building, it's a Christmas present," he says. "I don't gift wrap."

Office of the Arts officials offer him the option of wrapping some other campus building, and after deliberating awhile Christo chooses the Graduate School of Design's Gund Hall. The next day he reveals that the Visual and Environmental Studies (VES) Department has offered him a visiting professorship in return for swathing Gund Hall in phosphoreseent pink nylon.

April 15--Admission results are in, with some surprising contrasts to previous trends. We've really got the diversity problem whipped this time." exults Director of Admissions William R. Fitzsimmons '67, pointing to a Class of '88 which includes 900 students with red hair, 200 who are fluent in Sanskrit, and 150 who hail from the same small town in northern Nevada. Minority statistics continue to rise, though observers predict more problems than usual in persuading all those who accepted to come to Harvard.

April 21--In a bold rove that some call publicity-grabbing, the K-School announces that it will offer a full professorship to whichever Democratic contender for President finishes last in the primaries. "It's the losers who can really give students the benefit of their experience," explains K-School Dean Graham K. Allison '62, adding, "Defeat is victory."

April 30--Large chunks of masonry begin to fall from Gund Hall; architecture students working late are startled by loud creaks and groans. Investigation reveals that the extra weight of Christo's wrappings has placed an intolerable strain on the already tottering building. B&G workers are called to the scene, but can do nothing other than cart away the fallen bricks.

May

May 1--Fitzsimmons of the Admissions Office proves correct in his optimism--the Class of '88 remains "extremely diverse," he says, with an unusually high yield among minorities. Fitzsimmons issued a special announcement "to thank Derek for letting us spend all that money on guns and phone taps."

May 5--Continuing its push to from the new "Defeat is Victory" program, the K-School announces the appointment of former EPA head Anne Burford and former Secretary of State Alexander Haig as fellows. With the weather turning warm, tents are put up on Kennedy St. to house a rapidly developing overflow. "Indoors is outdoors," chuckles Dean Allison, "at least sort of."

May 11--Incoming Faculty Dean Watt visits once again, this time specifically to see the Adams House Z K-School fellow Burford picks the same weekend to move to Cambridge for the year, and happens to drive past the festivities on the riverbank. "And I thought I had a cleanup problem," the former federal administrator is heard to mutter.

May 20--Christo, having belatedly heard about the damage to Gund Hall, wires an offer "to come back and wrap it tighter." Bok turns down the offer but suggests that Christo consider trying to wrap the mist arising from the new fountain. "Space is structure," he points out.

June