"We extended the deadline until the 10th, since we are waiting for the cabinet meeting and the board meeting on the 8th," Epps said.

In agreeing to allow non-student voting members to sit on the committee, the College made an exception that is not usually granted to student organizations, an exception which Epps had threatened not to give just months earlier.

The agreement also created the position of Chief Operating Officer (COO) to lead PBHA and oversee its programs, and to act as a liaison between the College and the organization.

The COO was to be chosen and paid jointly by the College and PBHA. The officer would be responsible for reporting to the College-specifically, to Kidd-on safety and some financial issues and to the trustees on other issues relating to PBH programs.

Safety at PBHA has long been a priority of the College. In a critical 1994 Report on the Structure of Harvard College, Lewis said PBHA programs should put more emphasis on public safety.

In June 1996, Kidd said that the quality of PBHA programs directly reflects on Harvard and that Harvard could be held responsible in case of injury.

"It's impossible for a Harvard student organization not to be part of Harvard's insurance concerns," Kidd said. "Even with the best will in the world were PBHA to say 'We accept all liability,' the community at large would not accept this explanation."

PBHA leaders and college administrators said they hoped the compromise would settle the liability issue, with the executive agent reporting to both the College and the PBHA Board.

But the compromise did not survive long.

The first person to serve as COO, Kenneth G. Smith, stepped down May 4, 1997, to lead a Boston non-profit organization.

Smith said that both PBHA and the University spent too much energy on unnecessary attacks during his tenure.

"I hope my departure will be a catalyst for folks to put aside their differences," he said.

According to Johnson, who spoke to the Crimson in May, Smith stepped down due to the difficulty in steering clear of disputes between the College and PBHA.

"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.

Yet Professor of Government and Sociology Theda Skocpol, who serves on the Board of Trustees and chairs the Faculty of Arts and Science's Committee on Public Service, blames the PBHA student leaders for the compromise's failure.