Harvard students receive piles of publications at their doorsteps every day, most of them filled with stories and opinions on campus events and issues.

The Harvard campus is fickle. Most of the time the publications go from doormat to trash can without a second thought. But sometimes, for some reason, the campus latches on to an issue and decides to consider it important. Then, the whole college is reading and writing, talking and sometimes listening.

The funny thing about Harvard, and perhaps the world in general, is that one year an issue can be hot and the next year the same issue will be virtually ignored by the general student body--even if the powers that be continue to debate it.

Last year's losing issue was ROTC, In 1989, students debated the issue in classes and dining halls. But the students body barely peeped this year when the issue returned to the Administration's front burner. The hot subjects last year or at least last semester, were Harvard Law School protests and campus race relations.

The protests and discussions will continue. But the pundits can never be sure which issues have the staying power to excite and incite students for more than a semester.

Law School

One issue that is certain to survive is the debate over women and minority faculty hiring at Harvard Law school. Last spring, law students besieged their school with protests, rallies and sit-ins demanding that more women and people of color be represented on the faculty.

The protests were driven by the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court's decision to hear arguments about whether the Law School's Coalition for Civil Rights--a student group composed of six minority organizations and the Women's Law Association--had the standing to sue the University for alleged discriminatory hiring practices.

If the Court this summer rules in the students' favor, the school will again be the site of protests and rallies.

Race Relations

Race Relations will surely top this semester's agenda, as well. Dean of students Archie C. Epps III has been recently appointed to coordinate the actions of the Colleges' two race relations offices, the Harvard Foundation for Intercultural and Race Relations and the Office of Race Relations and Minority Affairs.

Epps' appointment comes after a semester of tensions. In April, the director of the Harvard Foundation, S. Allen Counter, wrote a letter to The Crimson accusing the newspaper of bias in its reporting of minority issues.

In the letter, Counter accused The Crimson of directing news and editorial content toward an "agenda" aligned with Jewish students who frequent Harvard Hillel. Those remarks and others in Counter's letter drew the ire of many Jewish student.

An angry response to Counter's letter on the editorial page of The Crimson upset minority groups, which rallied to Counter and the Foundation's side.

The Black Students Association doordropped a leaflet accusing the Harvard police, the conservative campus magazine Peninsula, Harvard Law School and The Crimson of insensitivity toward Black students.

Epps is planning a retreat for student leaders in the fall, and student organizations involved in last semester's controversy have pledged to continue to meet. But it remains to be seen how much impact Epps will have on race relations and whether he will be able to soothe the campus.

Contract Negotiations

The 3500-member Harvard Union of Clerical and Technical Workers is making a lot of noise this summer. The union and the University have been stalled in contract negotiations. The union's contract expired on June 30, before a new agreement could be reached.

The two sides are currently far away from agreeing on a salary structure, and the union has taken its case to the streets with protest marches, including one to President Neil L. Rudenstine's home at 33 Elmwood St..

While both sides expect to have a contract before the start of the academic year, observers say there is a slim possibility of a strike if they do not reach an agreement by then. A strike could dramatically slow the University's operation, especially during the beginning of classes.

Searches

Since the spring of 1990 Harvard has beendesparately seeking someone. It began with asearch for a president And once Rudenstine becamethe University 's 26th leader he embarked onsearches for a dean of first- year students a deanof the Faculty of Arts and Sciences, a provost adean of the Graduate School of Education.

Rudenstine filled all of these vacancies lastyear. But last month his choice for the EducationSchool Columbia Teachers college Professors LindaDarling Hammond backed out of the job citingpersonal reasons so now Rudenstine must resumethat search as well continue looking for a newvice president and general counsel.

Date Rape

Last year, the Date Rape Task Force, anadvisory body consisting of students and facultyreleased a report that defined rape as sex "whichoccurs without the expressed consent of theperson". The task force further recommended thatundergraduates participated in disciplinaryproceeding for date rape cases.

In response to the report the Colleges'students government the Undergraduate Counciladopted a measure recommending that date rape bedefined more narrowly as sex in which the victimexpresses unwillingness to have intercourse.

But the Radcliffe Union of Students questionedthe council's authority to make suchrecommendations and threw its weight be hind thetask force's report.

Professor of Law Alan M. Dershowitz called thewho debate "amateurish."

Dean of the College L. Fred Jewett '57 hasexpressed support for the task force's report, butHarvard change either the council or the taskforce's That Debate will reopen this fall.

ROTC

In the spring of 1990 the Faculty of Arts andSciences issued an ultimatum. If the military didnot lift ban on gays and lesbians within two yearsthe Harvard the faculty would sever all ties withROTC.

The faculty kicked ROTC off campus in 1969. butthe University continues to accept ROTCscholarship money and lets Harvard cadets travelto MIT for Classes and drills Opponents of ROTCcharge that the military's policy on gays violatesHarvard Principles of nondiscrimination. But manysay ROTC cadets would not be able to affordHarvard if it weren't for their Scholarships,.

Prior to this spring's deadline Dean of theFaculty Jeremy R. Knowles appointed a jointstudent-faculty committee to investigate theissue. But the ROTC committee failed to completeits investigation by the end of the year,preventing the faculty from taking action on thetwo year old ultimatum.

The faculty will again tackle the issue thisfall after the committee, headed by PforzheimerUniversity Professor Sidney Verba '53, makes itsrecommendation. Although student interest in theissue has waned in recent years, it could increaseagain if the faculty votes to stick to its promiseand sever ties.

Another factor influencing the debate may bethe presidential election. Democrat Bill Clintonhas promised to lift the ban on gays and lesbiansin the armed forces. A Clinton victory in Novembercould drastically alter the faculty's debate.

National Politics

The presidential election is one event thatHarvard Students are almost guaranteed to getexcited about. Many students will spend the falldebating, canvassing, writing and rallying for oneof he three presidential contenders