Despite the brisk weather yesterday afternoon, about 750 students, faculty and community members gathered in Harvard Yard at a Phillips Brooks House Association, Inc. (PBHA) rally to protest the University's alleged lack of regard for student input in the search for the new assistant dean of public service.

Students in PBHA, the student board of Phillips Brooks House (PBH), said they organized the rally because they were disappointed at the appointment of Judith H. Kidd as the new assistant dean of public service and director of PBH.

The rally, by far one of the largest at Harvard in recent memory, drew not only backers of PBH but supporters of an ethnic studies department, a multicultural student center and rent control, as well as many curious passers-by.

"Harvard is not the administration," PBHA President Vincent Pan '95-'96 said in his opening remarks to the fervent students gathered. "Everyone I see here today--this is Harvard."

PBHA members said last night that they collected 1,100 green attendance slips and, based on that number, estimated that 2,000 people watched the rally. But Harvard Police Chief Paul E. Johnson estimated the crowd of protesters at between 600 and 700, and a cursory survey of the crowd at its height indicated that the number was about 750.

Decorations for the rally included balloons tied to poles in the Yard, placards reading, "Harvard Keep Your Hands off PBH" and "Student Need, Not Harvard Greed," as well as an orange bandanna tied around John Harvard's calf.

Although undergraduates were consulted in the search process, many public service student leaders have said that Dean of Harvard College Harry R. Lewis '68 ignored their input in choosing Kidd instead of long-time PBH Executive Director Greg A. Johnson '72. They also have said that PBH did not need restructuring in the first place.

Lewis did not attend the rally yesterday because of a previously scheduled commitment: "They didn't check my calendar," he said earlier this week.

In an e-mail message yesterday, Lewis said he could not comment on the rally because he did not attend it. But in regard to a question about the number of people who attended the protest, the dean wrote: "Isn't that at most a fifth of the number expected, and about half the number of students (1700) that are claimed as members of PBHA?"

Robert Coles '50, Agee professor of social ethics and a staunch supporter of PBHA, said at the rally that Lewis' statement about checking his calendar was callous.

"Let us pray for that person's soul," Coles said of Lewis. "There was a moment in the Bible when it was said that the last shall be first and the first shall be last, and let us remember that--those of you who are big shots, let us remember."

Professor of Sociology Theda Skocpol, who chairs the newly-estab- lished student-faculty committee on public service, had a meeting scheduled yesterday in Princeton, N.J., but decided to stay for the rally.

"I just couldn't go out of town," Skocpol said before the rally began. "I couldn't miss the demonstration."

She said after the rally that she did not understand exactly what the students were angry about.

"I still didn't hear really specifically what people are concerned about except for, of course, the high value they place on Greg Johnson and Gail Epstein," Skocpol said. "That's water under the bridge." Johnson and Epstein will be let go in June as part of the restructuring.

Students returned to their dining halls last night to find copies of a letter from Lewis and Skocpol, offering what they cited as evidence of Harvard's commitment to student public service. The letter was distributed to checkers in each house.

President Neil L. Rudenstine did not attend the rally because of a previously scheduled meeting, according to Harvard's Director of Public Affairs Alex Huppe. Huppe said that Rudenstine might have a comment at his next biweekly news conference.

Representatives of many student organizations, including the Undergraduate Council, the Minority Students Alliance, Students for Choice, the College Democrats, the Harvard-Radcliffe Republican Alliance, La Raza, the Harvard-Radcliffe Dramatic Club, Perspective, Lighthouse, the Progressive Action Network and various house committees, attended the rally.

"How many of you are missing a class or a section right now to be here?" yelled Peter S. Cahn '96 at the rally's start. He received a roar in response.

The Speakers

Cheers from the crowd punctuated every speech in the 90-minute rally, but few spoke more explicitly than Kenneth E. Reeves '72, mayor of Cambridge.

"Do you know what a moon is?" Reeves asked the students. "A moon is when someone drops their pants and turns and looks at you. So I am here because I feel that you have been mooned and we have been mooned."

Master of Adams House Robert Kiely '60 also posited that the students and faculty involved with public service have not been listened to.

"If several hundreds of those exceptional students are distressed by decisions made in the past year by the administration, an administration that is truly proud of those exceptional students should listen to them," Kiely said.

Professor of Law Charles J. Ogletree roused the crowd when he started a chant. "What do we want?" Ogletree shouted. "Public interest," the crowd responded. "When do we want it?" Ogletree continued. "Now!" the crowd shouted.

One of the later speakers, the Rev. Thomas Chittick of the University Lutheran Church, said the Harvard student-run shelter in the church's basement has helped his congregation.

"After 14 years of Phillips Brooks House running a shelter in the basement of church, an entire congregation has been changed," Chittick said.

Professor of Latin American History and Economics John Womack Jr. said that due to faculty apathy, student concern is all that much more important.

"I think, at best, one percent of the faculty knows or cares about PBH," Womack said. "Given the faculty's concern with their careers, that percentage is not going to increase."

And Francis H. Duehay '55, the Cambridge city councillor who ended the official speakers' list, praised the programs and remembered his own experiences with the organization.

"I know that Greg Johnson and Gail Epstein have run and are running the best community service programs in any college in this country," he said.

What Now?

In recent weeks, members of PBHA and of its Association Committee have discussed the prospect of autonomy from the University. Currently, PBHA is an independent corporation, but the University pays the salaries of its staff members.

Duehay said that any alumni donations from now on should go directly to PBHA.

"Alumni giving must now be funneled through the appropriate channels so that it reaches PBHA Inc. and does not now reach the coffers of the University," the councillor said.

Skocpol said she thinks there is a lot of common ground shared by the administration and the students.

"I think there's all the common ground in the world, because of most of the specific things that were said about the value of the student-run projects and the vitality of student-run public service," she said.

Pan said he hopes the rally will show Lewis just how deep student feelings runs on this issue.

"Hopefully this will show him that we do care very, very passionately about it and that we do know what we're talking about," Pan said.

Although the rally's numbers did not approach the 5,000 people PBHA had predicted. Pan said it was a good first step.

"We worked our asses off to get people out," he said. "Next time it will be a little easier.