But Bok was not very encouraging, either. Kiely says he told her that "as an individual he was sympathetic to the proposal, but that as the person in charge of Harvard's money, he didn't think something like it could be agreed to by the Harvard Corporation."

While Bok cited the cost of the proposal as the major impediment to the Corporation's agreeing to finance the project, many in the community insist that the University bears some responsibility as a corporate citizen of Cambridge to pitch in.

"Harvard should [fund this proposal] to make reparations for nwhat it has done to the community in the past," says local activist William Cunningham, referring to the University's reputation for numerous land acquisitions during the '60s and '70s. Harvard, the Cambridge resident says, "has a false reputation for being willing to do things for the community out of its own pocket." Cunningham says the St. Paul's project is an opportunity for the University to do something beneficial, useful and tangible for a community gouged by Harvard's expansion toward the center of Cambridge. He hopes students will rally behind the Kiely plan and demand that Harvard accept what he claims is its responsibility to the community. "What's the purpose of a university, anyway?" he asks.

But City Councilor David E. Sullivan says the "hard part will be to get Harvard to take [the proposal] seriously; the University doesn't see how it will benefit in the direct sense." After observing how Harvard was embarassed last winter by its attitudes toward homeless men sleeping on the Leverett House grates, Sullivan says he is hopeful that the Ivory Tower will accept its responsibility as "a corporate citizen" and help finance the plan. "It's possible the city would be willing to chip in," Sullivan says. "I'd certainly support it."

Budget Constraints

Bok reportedly told city councilors last winter that the University is facing a potentially massive financial squeeze due to budget cuts in the Gramm-Rudman deficit reduction act. John Shattuck, Harvard's vice president for government and public affairs, calls Gramm-Rudman reductions "a large cloud hanging over the financing of higher education." And "in that context," the University official says, "it would be increasingly difficult for Harvard to raise money for...things it would otherwise like to fund."

All roads in resolving this matter, most agree, eventually lead back to the church. "The primary focus at this point should be on the church and the kind of profit it wants to make," Shattuck says.

Thomas P. Healy '82, the church's director of development, makes it clear that a non-profit organization like St. Paul's needs to make a good deal of money off of the land, regardless of what kind of development is eventually built upon it.

"The price will be the same in either case," he says. "The Kiely group will have to match a price for the land a profit-oriented development would pay." But even if the church prefers a plan like Kiely's, spokesmen are hesitant to let on that it is.

"We can't forfeit our bargaining power," says Healy. "To rule out any type of development would be unwise...If we eliminate a profit-oriented development from the bidding process, then the price of the land won't be competitive."

Professor of Psychiatry Robert Coles '50, who is interested in adding a community counseling center at the corner of DeWolfe and Mt. Auburn, is critical of both Harvard's lack of interest in the project and the church's stance on the matter.

"Sometimes," he says, "we have to pray long and hard for the church as well as for ourselves.

Divine Intervention

But it appears someone may answer such prayers. President Bok has referred the Kiely proposal back to the Planning Office, and its director says that his office will "take a look at the program and see if we can't make some modification that would make the project financially feasible." And, according to a recent paper distributed by the Kiely group to city council members, such an adjustment may be possible.

The original Planning Office estimate, theletter states, was based upon what it calls"conventional financing schemes." But theactivists claim in their letter that through someinnovative financing plans, their proposal isfinancially feasible. By raising $1.5 million fromthe outset, borrowing subsidized state and federalhousing loans, and getting some labor andarchitectural costs donated, they think they cansignificantly lower the cost of their development.

But Silverman says "$1.5 million is a lot ofmoney to raise" and that the Kiely letter does notaddress the price tag on the property. Healy,though, says that there may be room for some "giveand take" in the price of the lease the churchdemands.

The church's development director also saysthat the Archdiocese will have to carefully weighwhat kind of contrast there is between a profitand non-profit proposal. "If Mrs. Kiely has awonderful proposal, and the alternative issomething the community is very much against," hesays, then the Archdiocese might be tempted toaccept a bid that was not quite as lucrative asone from a profit-oriented development.

All in all, Kiely is optimistic that her groupcan show the city, the University and theArchdiocese the benefits each can receive byhelping to build her project. But most important,she says, are the benefits that will be derived bylower-income families who are in dire need ofassistance. "We need to stop this trendsomewhere," she says, nothing the proliferation ofconstruction in Harvard Square catering toupper-income clientele. "If everything is given tocondominiums, the result is more ghettos.