"Will you stand with us?" Belt asked.

Wilson refused.

"There will be individuals within the Institutewho are willing to say that, but it will not be[the dean's] function to be your advocate," shesaid.

Responding to students' interest in a women'scenter, Wilson calmly elaborated the Harvardposition against "spaces that are aboutexclusion."

"You're bumping up against a majorinstitutional philosophy," she said. "It's nowonder you feel the situation is unresponsive."

"Men's Center"

That kind of institutional philosophy isexactly what needs to be challenged, says Ann R.Shapiro '59, co-chair of the Committee for theEquality of Women at Harvard, an alumni watchdoggroup.

"I don't buy that argument at all," she says."One could argue that Harvard is already a men'scenter. It's naive to assume that women do nothave certain needs just because men don't havethem."

Outside observers have said they agree morewith the students' pessimistic assessment thanwith Wilson's newly sunny one.

"There are many things that need to be donebefore we will be satisfied that the playing fieldis level," Shapiro says.

Wilson has argued that the new Institute willimprove conditions for women, particularly bycreating a new dean and a pool of top-notch femalescholars available as role models.

But MIT Professor of Biology Nancy H. Hopkins'64, who recently co-authored a report on genderdiscrimination at MIT, scoffs at the suggestionthat the Institute alone will solve Harvard'sgender problems.

"That's absolutely not going to do it," shesays. "I think it's terrific, but no, in order tochange this problem, women have to share thepower... What Radcliffe will become will be a finething in itself, but it will not change the genderproblem at Harvard."

Harvard, We've Got a Problem

Harvard officials acknowledge that theUniversity has had difficulties addressing women'sconcerns in the past, but say the new arrangementwill at least make the responsibility perfectlyclear.