The RCAA Board of Management demanded to betold "the substance of [the] deliberations" in aletter to Wilson and the Board of Trustees datedApril 19.
The following day, Peggy M. McIntosh '56resigned her position as the RCAA second vicepresident to protest the secrecy of the top-leveldiscussions.
"I think we all deserve the chance to be activein Radcliffe's future," she wrote in a letter tothe Radcliffe president and trustees.
About 80 students rushed to support Radcliffe'srole in undergraduate life with a march fromRadcliffe to Harvard Yard on April 21, followed bya rally in front of University Hall.
"We were disturbed that the voices of peoplewho believe in Radcliffe...were not being heard,"said Emma C. Cheuse '98, one of the event'sorganizers, at the rally.
But Radcliffe administrators elected to remainsilent even in the face of student and alumnaeprotest, steadfastly refusing to give substantiveinformation about the talks.
In the presidents' joint address to prospectivemembers of the class of 2002 during pre-froshweekend in late April, both dodged questions fromthe audience about Radcliffe's future althoughRudenstine had previously expressed to The Crimsonhis hope that talks would be concluded by "the endof the academic year or the summer."
During the welcome event, however, Wilsoninvoked Mark Twain's response upon reading hisobituary in a newspaper.
"My death has been greatly exaggerated," shequipped.
Meanwhile, several sources close to thediscussions have said negotiations between the twoinstitutions have been moving forward.
Radcliffe has hired two consultants--TonyKnerr, former vice president of finance andtreasurer of Columbia University, and publicrelations adviser Jim McAvoy of Burson-MarstellerInc.--to aid in the financial and external affairsof the negotiations.
In an effort to "reflect [their] history ofcollaboration," Harvard and Radcliffe coordinatedthe announcements of new programs in theirseparate capital campaigns, introducing $15million and $3 million matching fundsrespectively.
As with Knowles' April 1997 letter, theUniversity made women a special target group ofits campaign drive, stipulating that allsubstantial donations by women will be doubled bya fund created to encourage female philanthropy.
Radcliffe's matching fund is gender-blind,although all funds will go to the institutionwhich has stated a dedication to "advancingsociety by advancing women."
While the separate fundraising drives appear tobe competing for cash, the two institutions madeit clear that they solicited donations fromdifferent constituencies, and allocated them fordifferent purposes.
"We don't think the world of potential donorsis limited, that if Harvard reaches out to womenthen Radcliffe will lose out," said Laura W.Smith, assistant director of communications at theUniversity Development Office.
The simultaneous drives were meant to show howthe "partner institutions" could existside-by-side.
In the final move of the academic year, Wilsonsent letters to graduating women and alumnae,inviting them to comment on the future ofRadcliffe's "intellectual terrain."
While Wilson has framed the "call for comments"as a way to solicit suggestions for an academicagenda for Radcliffe, the college's Board ofTrustees will make the final decision regardingits institutional makeup alone, and an agreementwith Harvard rests in their hands.
"All institutions must develop a strongconstituent base, and respect that constituentbase," Wilson said in a May interview. But, sheadded, "it is important to know that the ultimateresponsibility for the institutional structure isan assigned responsibility. There is a group ofpeople who hold the institution in trust--ourBoard of Trustees."