Anne Bradstreet would never have been admitted to Harvard 300 years ago, but last October, Harvard dedicated a gate by Canaday Hall in the poet's honor.

Harvard's dedication celebrated more than just the 25th anniversary of co-residency in the Yard; the gesture opened the gate to discussions about women's status on campus that many say are long overdue.

Women remained in the College's spotlight well past the October commemoration. Recent alumnae gifts to Harvard--not Radcliffe--funded panels addressing women's issues, a new women's leadership award and a glossy brochure featuring prominent female undergraduates, faculty and alumnae. Such efforts made it easy for those students featured in the brochure to smile and proclaim things like, "It's a great time to be at Harvard."

All in all, it seems to have been an exceptional year for women at Harvard. Many say the College has finally recognized that Radcliffe's increasing marginalization in the lives of undergraduate women has left a void that Harvard must fill.

Still, a gate or a glossy brochure does not satisfy everyone. Many say that until Harvard increases the number of its tenured female faculty, creates a 24-hour rape crisis center like many of its Ivy peers and addresses issues like sexism in the classroom, the College's efforts to promote gender equality in undergraduate life this year are only empty gestures.

The discussions of the last year have shown a Radcliffe willing to shed its "college" label but still trying to retain some connection to undergraduate women.

The events of the last year have highlighted a Harvard now apparently willing--after more than two decades of benign neglect--to recognize that women comprise just under half of its undergraduate population.

Now Harvard's emerging interest in its female undergraduates must become a long-term commitment before students and alumnae alike are convinced that women can survive in a world without Radcliffe.

Taking Some Initiative

Harvard is not known for its small-scale projects. So when the College launched the Women's Initiative project last April--funded by the $1.25 million Houghton endowment--University Hall administrators were determined to make women's status on campus a theme for the year.

Under the auspices of the Women's Initiative, Dean of the College Harry R. Lewis '68 and Assistant Dean of the College Karen E. Avery '87 launched the Harvard College Discussion Series. An associate justice on the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court and a professor of women's studies and history of science, among other professional women, headlined panels and lunches that undergraduates of both sexes were encouraged to attend.

"This was the first year that Harvard had the series, and it will continue to grow much more over the next few years," says Avery, adding that she would like to see the Women's Initiative become "a household word."

But for all the weight Harvard has thrown behind the initiative, the administration cannot claim full credit. Avery told The Crimson last April that a "working group" of about 25 undergraduates formed by Lewis to address women's issues first suggested the formation of a College-sponsored project to benefit women.

Students involved in the Women's Leadership Project (WLP) also prompted the College to award its first ever Women's Leadership prize for undergraduates and the Women's Professional Achievement Award. Both honors were funded by the Terrie Fried Bloom '75 endowment, a gift of about $50,000 made at the beginning of the last academic year.

Of course, the College did make several self-initiated advancements for women. While not touted as such, two appointments within the House system this past year increased the presence of women on campus. In the spring, Lewis appointed Diana L. Eck master of Lowell House, making her the only women to follow in the footsteps of Sandra Naddaff, the current master of Mather House. Mallinckrodt Professor of Physics Howard Georgi, who will become master of Leverett House in the fall, is applauded for his longtime support of undergraduate women in the sciences.