The blue-ribbon panel decided that colleges must meet with residents before embarking on major policy changes which might affect neighborhood life, he said.

"I question if MIT's decision to close Lowell School is in violation of the letter, if not the spirit, of that report," he said.

Cambridge resident John Sorenson said that the city should require the colleges to make a positive contribution towards Cambridge life.

"What do Harvard and MIT do in exchange for the pork we give them?" he said.

Although Mayor Kenneth E. Reeves '72 said MIT has begun several programs which teach math and science to children in the Cambridge public schools, he said that MIT has made a serious error by "insulting the council" last night.

"They do have a responsibility to this city," Reeves said. "I do think MIT calculated wrong by not coming here tonight. No information to the Cambridge City Council is an insult, and they insulted us directly."