"You're giving a lot of mixed messages," Decker said.

The meeting got off to a rocky start when Councillor Kenneth E. Reeves '72 complained that Grogan had not yet arrived at the meeting when MIT was about to begin its presentation.

"Maybe it's possible to invite the deans of each of the schools and the director of the art museums since it seems to be where the decisions lie," said Councillor Michael A. Sullivan, in a dig at the University's decentralized administration.

After some tense exchanges, however, the two sides did appear to make progress in creating an open dialogue.

"How do we make deals where you get what you want and we get what we want?" asked Councillor Jim Braude.

Grogan said the self-interest of both sides has to direct discussions between the University and the city.

"We do believe that good relations must be built on self-interest all around to work," Grogan said.