Both acting masters denied that it was their zoological experience that qualified them to manage a Harvard house.

A TALE OF TWO JESSES

Vice President and General Counsel Daniel Steiner said that the University was undecided about whether it would sign an "anti-obscenity" pledge to receive funding from the National Endowment for the Arts. An amendment, proposed by Sen. Jesse Helms (R-N.C.) and passed by Congress last year, requires all beneficiaries of NEA grants to sign a statement affirming that they will not use the money for art that is deemed obscene.

Steiner said the University has not yet signed the pledge, but he said that Harvard--which receives $200,000 annually from the NEA--would not rule that possibility out. Similarly, officials at the American Repertory Theatre said that the theatre will not decide whether to accept or reject about $18,000 worth of funds until "the very last minute."

Meanwhile, former presidential candidate and frequent Harvard visitor the Rev. Jesse L. Jackson was in Cambridge last month, making a token effort at relieving tensions in the Persian Gulf crisis. He met with Prince Turki Bin Abdul-Aziz Al Saud, a member of the Saudi royal family, at the Prince's posh suite at the Charles Hotel. Details of the meeting were sketchy but it does not appear that the conference has helped solve the international crisis.

RAIDERS OF THE LOST CALF

The academic community was abuzz this summer with talk of an astonishing find by a Harvard archaeologist. Lawrence E. Stager '65, Dorot Professor of the Archaeology of Israel, unearthed an ancient Canaanite "golden calf" in Israel, the only idol of its kind ever found. Scientists hailed the calf--which may date back to 1500 B.C.--as a vital piece of evidence about the development of ancient religions.

SHAPE UP OR SHIP OUT

Reserve Officers Training Corps' policy of discriminating against gays and lesbians drew fire from two very different critics this summer. The American Civil Liberties Union announced plans to host a national conference this fall in Minneapolis discussing ways of fighting discrimination in the military.

Meanwhile, President Bok and former Dean of the Faculty A. Michael Spence sent a letter to Secretary of Defense Richard Cheney requesting that the military reconsider its discriminatory policies. The letter came in response to a Faculty Council resolution last spring making similar demands, threatening to stop accepting ROTC scholarships if the controversial policy is not reversed.

AFRO-AM REDUX?

Barbara Johnson, professor of romance and comparative literature, was named to chair Harvard's beleagured Afro-American Studies Department this year. Johnson will thus join former chair Werner Sollors as the Department's only permanent faculty members. Johnson is a literary scholar, who has not been previously affiliated with the Afro-Am Department, but has taught classes on Afro-American literature.

FAIR HARVARD?

Three Black administrators who were dismissed from their jobs at Harvard graduate schools reportedly filed complaints against the University this summer, charging that they were the victims of discrimination.

Included among the officials is Lawrence Watson, a former assistant dean at the Graduate School of Design, who was laid off in June in the wake of large budget cuts. Watson has been one of the University's most vocal advocates of affirmative action.