The House and Neighborhood Development (HAND) program, long overlooked in the war between the administration and students over public service, has quietly made changes in an effort to revamp its program.

But HAND's unwillingness to make waves may have caused the organization to lose valuable space to the more contentious Phillips Brooks House Association (PBHA).

HAND alum and former Adams House public service tutor Jessica D. Steigerwald '90 has been hired to run the program full-time, replacing the three central student coordinators, a change many members say has facilitated dialogue and promoted stability within the organization.

HAND, which was established in 1982, is a community service program in the houses that matches each house with a Cambridge neighborhood and public school.

For this school year, HAND has added its own 13-member board in an effort to retain student leadership over the program while handing off administrative duties to a full-time staff person.

The changes come as part of the decision of the College to overhaul public service programming following the 1994 Report on the Structure of Harvard College.

This restructuring has included the elimination of the positions of former PBH executive director Greg A. Johnson '72 and Office of Public Service director Gail L. Epstein, as well as the appointment of Assistant Dean of Public Service Judith H. Kidd.

PBHA has waged a two-year war to protest the restructuring. Over the summer, PBHA and the administration signed a compromise that grants student autonomy over programmatic concerns. As part of this agreement, the administration retains oversight of financial and liability issues.

Students in HAND have embraced the changes, despite Epstein's departure, because of the addition of Steigerwald.

Students say Steigerwald provides a better link to the community than did the three student representatives because of the permanence of her position.

"Jessica is amazing to work with," says Amanda H. Bigelow '97, the co-chair of HAND. "She is a positive force for HAND."

The Space Issue

HAND's unwillingness to confront the administration, however, may have cost the group a home on campus.

As a result of a decision of the University to grant more space to the Bureau of Study Counsel, HAND lost its office on the third floor of 7 Linden St. over the summer.

The University did not make other space available to the group this year.

Bigelow says she was left looking for space until Eliot House Masters Stephen A. Mitchell and Kristine Forsgard stepped in and offered two rooms in the Eliot basement for this year.

HAND officials say they would like ultimately to move onto the third floor of Phillips Brooks House, which will become available at the end of the year after the Committee on the Study of Religion moves into the new Humanities Center.

But just as HAND members have been loath to confront the administration, they also have shied away from offending PBHA.

PBHA leaders say a more militant attitude might have helped HAND.

"I think they should have fought harder to keep the Linden Street space," says Hahrie C. Han '97, vice president of PBHA.

PBHA, for its part, wants to expand to the third floor because it currently offers 50 programs.

"We used to have one desk for each program," says Han. "Now we're down to one file cabinet per program."

For the moment, HAND leaders remain optimistic but admit that they have been given no promises.

"HAND is definitely on the short list of large permanent organizations that were considered," says Noah R. Feinstein '98, a co-chair of HAND. "But my understanding is that the space may rotate."

Revamping the Program

HAND volunteers in each house take part in Big Sibling, Tutoring and One Shot (a once-a-month community service opportunity) programs.

Houses have arranged sports clinics, a karate training program, Halloween parties, Saturday afternoon puppet-making and mural-painting.

Steigerwald supervises all of HAND's programs by visiting schools, gathering resources and coordinating training programs.

According to Melinda A. Hakim '97, HAND coordinator for Currier House and one of the 13 people on the board, a problem HAND has faced in the past is a lack of communication with school administrators.

Steigerwald says she has tried to solve that problem by meeting with various school administrators individually as well as with school groups.

HAND has also added two panels, the Community Advisory Panel (CAP) and the HAND Alumni Panel (HAP) to serve the organization's needs within the larger community.

Other changes include mandatory Red Cross training for students who will work with individual children or with sports teams.

"I was worried because it seems like it's adding to the bureaucracy, and increasing the number of meetings we have to go to," says Matthew A. Weissman '97, Adams House Learning Center coordinator. "But it's worked out very well and allows the houses to communicate.