The Bureacracy

TV shows or movies don't have to clear every mention of Harvard with University officials, but most of the time, studios will ask permission for lengthy spoken references to Harvard.

However, visual uses of the Harvard name--captured in carefully-crafted shots of Crimson sweatshirts, class pennants and other Harvard paraphernalia--are closely regulated.

All requests to use Harvard's name on film come through the Harvard New Office. Public Information Manager Susan Green, who handles most of the requests, says that she gets around ten requests per week from studios that plan a visual use of the Harvard name.

"In almost every show or movie now, some character either wants to go to Harvard or graduated from Harvard," Green says.

Unlike Yale, which began charging a fee in 1998 for use of their logo in commercial films, Harvard doesn't charge studios for the use of its name.

Green says she generally tries to grant studios' requests. However, she says the University is wary of appearing to endorse commercial shows or movies.

"In every company, you want to have a classic or stable institution subtly giving you their endorsement," says Joseph G. Wrinn, the director of the Harvard News Office. Thus the review process--otherwise the University might unwittingly appear to endorse a particular product or show.