The daily interaction of students in classes, athletics and extracurricular activities tends to promote a very diverse atmosphere. However, students of the same ethnic group often cling together and form communities which may become insular. Minority students in particular often congregate in order to develop cultural bonds. The Interethnic Day of Service, organized by Harvard-Radcliffe Hillel and the Minority Student Alliance, provided a common goal to give otherwise disparate groups a unified objective: to lend a hand to the community. Approximately 45 students of various ethnic backgrounds headed to locations in Cambridge and Boston to serve the community by performing such tasks as painting homeless shelters and preparing food for a soup kitchen. The Interethnic Day of Service should be continued and made into a regular practice. (Jan. 8, 1997)

LET GAYS MARRY IN MEM CHURCH

By closing the doors of Memorial Church to homosexual couples desiring to sanctify their union with a blessing ceremony, the administrative board of the Church is discriminating against homosexuals who want to commit to each other within the auspices of the Church. Memorial Church is not just any house of God. It is a Harvard-affiliated house of God, the church of Harvard University, and, as such, is bound by the policies and regulations of the greater Harvard community. Harvard does not allow discrimination against homosexual men and women in any of its other spheres of influence; Memorial Church should be no different. (Jan. 30, 1997)

SOLVE THE ACID PAPER PROBLEM

At what price our books? Many of the books printed on acid paper in the 19th and early 20th centuries that are housed in Widener Library are decaying due to the lack of climate control in the library. We are concerned because every book that gets burnt represents a piece of lost heritage. It will cost $28 million to renovate Widener with a climate control system. To date [March 17], the University has not raised any of the money needed. We realize that the University cannot raise such money out of thin air, but for something as important to a University as its books, the money can be found. We recommend that the administration put its money where its mouth is, step up to the plate and act before Widener begins selling its books as confetti. (March 17, 1997)

ASGF PUSHES RIGHT BUTTONS

The Alternative Senior Gift Fund (ASGF) is a good idea for both the students and the University. The money ASGF collects will be held in escrow until University hiring practices comply with the request put forth in a 1971 report to have a proportional number of women and minority faculty members to the number of women and minority Ph.D.s. The fund will provide seniors with another option for donation to the University while at the same time allowing them to speak out in favor of increased hiring of female and minority faculty. Students who choose to donate money to the College should be able to choose where and how they want their money to be spent. The student organizers of ASGF are putting the principles of their Harvard education to good use by trying to help steer the University in the right direction in hiring policy. What better way to give back to Harvard than by holding it to a morally acceptable standard? (March 18, 1997)