A search committee for the assistant dean,appointed by Jewett, began accepting applicationsin March. Although members of Phillips BrooksHouse were asked for recommendations for thesearch committee and submitted them, Jewett chosenone of their candidates for the committee.

"I never got an explanation of what happened,"said Professor of Psychiatry and MedicalHumanities Robert Coles '50, one of those thestudents suggested. "I've wondered out loud, andit has never been explained to me."

As of last week, the search committee hadreceived about 250 applications, according toformer vice-president and general counsel DanielSteiner, chair of the committee. A few are stilltrickling in after the mid-May deadline, he said.

Steiner said he has talked about the searchprocess over the past two months with the PBHAboard, the PBH staff, Director of PBH and Directorof the Stride Rite Program Greg A. Johnson, '72,Director of Public Service Programs for theCollege Gail L. Epstein and some members of the26-member PBH advisory committee.

Many members associated with PBH, however, saidthe current system is more than adequate and thesearch itself is unnecessary.

"We [did have] a period of time when thevarious social action and community serviceprograms that existed beyond Phillips Brooks Housecaused some organizational problems for theUniversity," said City Councillor Francis H.Duehay '55, a member of the advisory committee.

Those problems, Duehay said, resulted in thecreation of the Office of public Service, underEpstein's leadership. Separate from PBH, theoffice oversees all public service activities atthe College, including Citystep, House andNeighborhood Development (HAND), Circle K,Education for Action and PBH.

But Duehay said that although PBH and theOffice of Public Service may have been redundant afew years ago, they are not now.

"I think over the last several years, thatoffice and PBH have worked very carefully andclosely together to eliminate overlap andduplication," Duehay said. "The Maull-Lewis reportassumed that duplication was still there, and Idon't think it is."

Indeed, PBHA and HAND leaders worked togetherthis year to coordinate a student protest againstthe College report. Leaders of both groups wrotein a memo to Knowles, Jewett and Maull last fallthat their primary concerns were with a reductionin staff or the elimination of the senior staffpositions.

The letter, authored by King. PBHA board memberEric Dawson '97 and Central HAND CoordinatorsJenna McNeill '95 and Kelly Yee '95, described anapparent under-standing between the administratorsand the student leaders.

"We believe that Greg Johnson and Gail Epsteinshould remain in these positions with theappropriate changes in their job descriptions,"the student leaders wrote. "We do not think asearch process for new applicants would beanything but disruptive and unnecessary."

Despite the students' protests, Knowlesdetermined that there would be a new positioncreated. In addition, Knowles stipulated thatthere would be no increase in the number of fulltime employees in the present service structure.thus, if Epstein or Johnson is not appointed tothe dean position, it seems likely that somesupport or director position would be eliminated.

According to a PBHA source, Epstein will notenter the search process, but Johnson and PBHAssistant Director Kenneth A. Smith will.

With the two student service groups apparentlycooperating to maintain their separate directors,some say the question of a bulky or unmanageablepublic service structure seems irrelevant.