Gaining the increased autonomy the Phillips Brooks House Association (PBHA) says it wants from the Administration has never been an easy task for the University's largest service organization.

But when University officials and PBHA student representatives forged a new agreement last July, both parties said they felt they could at least anticipate a less-heated working relationship in the upcoming school year.

The arrangement made several provisions that increased the Administration's authority in the areas of safety, finance and compliance with University and legal requirements. It also created a board of trustees to oversee PBHA which includes non-student voting members, PBHA student leaders and University officials. In addition, if they also hired an executive agent responsible for the day-to-day operations of the organization.

But the agreement, the result of several concessions made by both groups, may have failed in its attempt to forge a successful partnership. With neither side completely content with the results of last summer's negotiations, the past year has been a tumultuous one for the organization.

This year, almost no one involved with the organization was spared attack; Assistant Dean of Public Service Judith H. Kidd, Dean of the College Harry R. Lewis '68 and PBHA's newly-created board of trustees all faced public criticism.

And as the flaws of the once-touted compromise became apparent, PBHA continued to press for independence voting in early May to endorse a recommendation that would allow the organization to hire its own staff.

Authored by a PBHA program development team that includes Kidd, the proposal would enable the hiring of an executive director, associate director and development coordinator who would be directly responsible to the PBHA board.

The new staff structure would eliminate the position of chief operating officer (COO)--a liaison between the University and PBHA--which has been vacant since the May 4 departure of former COO Kenneth G. Smith.

The position had been problematic, according to Gregory A. Johnson '72, former executive director of PBHA. The purpose of the post was to create an independent agent who was responsible for the day-to-day operations of PBHA.

However, because Smith reported to both the administration and PBHA, and because both sides contributed to Smith's salary, it made it difficult for him to act independently and not get involved in disputes between the two parties, according to Johnson.

"It's impossible to be paid half by the University, half by PBHA Inc., report to a University administrator and [still] be an independent agent," Johnson said in an interview with The Crimson.

By eliminating the position, the proposal by PBHA's board of trustees may help to bring about a lasting compromise in the two-year dispute between the organization and the University over the structure of public service programs at Harvard.

Letters of Intent

Despite advances made this year in PBHA's relationship with the University, the year was marred by public attacks.

In a letter sent April 5 to hundreds of donors and supporters of PBHA, Johnson criticized PBHA's board of trustees for being "tentative and slow" in fulfilling its mission and accused some board members of "deliberate sabotage."