City Receives Federal Funds to Fight Drugs

The City of Cambridge recieved $60,000 from the U.S. Department of Justice on Tuesday to be used in the fight against illegal drugs.

The money will be spent on street-level enforcement, undercover operations, training narcotics officers and the purchase of specialized equipment.

The request for the money was made in early April by Rep. Alvin E. Thompson (D-Cambridge), who had originally sought $100,000.

The money comes from a block grant made by the Bureau of Justice Assistance under the Anti-Drug Abuse Act of 1988.

Thompson said that money from grants was "never enough," but added that "I'm sure these monies will be put to very good use."

Thompson said Cambridge was a medium drug-use area.

"We can't compare with Boston and Dorchester. The situation here is bad but not as serious as in other communities," he said.

Cambridge police will work out how the money will be divided later this week, Thompson said.

He said funds may go to existing programs or pay for the creation of new ones. He added that some of the money may support a drug-education program in the area's schools.

Far Fewer Add-Drop Petitions This Year

The early mailing of course catalogs this year may be the reason why undergraduates filed far fewer petitions than usual this term to add or drop courses, despite a shortened shopping period this year, a representative of the Registrar's Office said yesterday.

By the Monday deadline, students had filed 1261 petitions to add courses and 965 petitions to drop courses. By the same time last year, students filed 1959 petitions to add courses and 1451 petitions to drop courses, said Stephen Kane, assistant registrar for undergraduate records.

"It's possible that mailing the catalogs has helped most students by allowing them the time to review the courses and be more comfortable with their choices," he said.

Some first-year students said that looking at the catalog gave them a good idea of the types of courses offered at Harvard.