Room for Radcliffe?

Still, FAS's new attitude toward women may leave Radcliffe in the lurch.

Lewis and Knowles have, in effect, presented the College as a place for alumnae gifts, a place where undergraduate women do reap the benefits of the FAS coffers.

But since both FAS and Radcliffe are engaged in fundraising efforts, the two institutions have, at times, butted heads. The College's efforts to show women they care are accompanied by several recent conflicts with its sister institution on Garden Street.

Although Wilson and Dean of Educational Programs Tamar March were invited to October's gate dedication and panel discussions on women at Harvard, the ceremony featured Harvard officials. "We had hoped President Wilson would have a role in the ceremony," March said.

Tension between the two institutions emerged again earlier this year when Radcliffe requested rent for the use of Byerly Hall, which currently houses the Undergraduate Admissions Office and the offices of the Graduate School of Arts and Sciences. In the past, FAS has used the space free of charge.

While Wilson declined yesterday to provide details of recent discussions by the Radcliffe College's Board of Trustees over its future, she said Radcliffe will continue to provide "meaningful experiences and opportunities" for undergraduate women.

"What will not change is our commitment to students--just how it might be expressed, which changes all the time," Wilson said. "If it didn't, it wouldn't be in touch with students."

Wilson characterized the current "comprehensive strategic planning" discussions as part of Radcliffe's ongoing evolution.

"We had a plan very well thought out for the 1990s, and we're almost done carrying that out....Now we're thinking about what's the best thing to do in the next century," she said.

March also emphasized that although most of the senior staff at Radcliffe have been involved in the strategic planning, "they were discussions, not decisions," she said. "As far as I know, there are no decisions.