“The terms PBH and PBHA have confused everyone in a way that doesn’t positively serve public service at Harvard,” Corbin said. “None of us knows where the conversation will lead, but I appreciate that there’s some recognition of this confusion and a willingness to engage in good faith discussion on how to best serve public service at Harvard.”

“I think [Gross] has communicated that he thinks this is a great chance to really think through the reporting structure,” Winship said. “We don’t know yet how to structure it.”

Kidd suggested that there might be efforts to increase collaboration between PBH and PBHA in areas such as leadership training.

But the committee members were quick to note that nothing has yet been decided—Kidd said that they might make the decision to replace her, or could opt for a rearranging of duties.

“Everything is completely up for consideration,” she said.

While maintaining that it is still too early in the process to predict the outcome of the committee, Corbin and others suggest that there might be increased autonomy for the individual service groups that make up PBHA.

“Social service and social change efforts are best served when they rely on the commitment and vision of students,” Corbin said. “The challenge is how to take advantage of [the students’] dedication, yet be accountable to the College for liability concerns.”

“We want to let them operate,” Gross said. “They are an independent student organization.”

But according to Kidd, several things will stay the same regardless of the eventual course taken by the committee: PBHA will retain what she calls its “programmatic autonomy” and will still be accountable to the College on issues of safety, liability and finance. Moreover, the dotted-line reporting relationship between Kidd and Corbin will remain in place.

Kidd will also keep her ex-officio spot on the PBHA board, in accordance with a controversial 1996 agreement.

Gross notes that Kidd’s new role—as the chief dean in charge of undergraduate activities at Harvard—will mean continued contact with both PBH and PBHA since PBH, like the Office of Career Services, the Harvard Foundation and the Ann Radcliffe Trust, will report to her.

“The College will always be involved. We manage the building. We want to have a relationship,” Gross said.

Overhauling U-Hall

Gross says Kidd’s accomplishments and the breadth of her responsibilities were behind his decision to ask her to join the staff full time. Kidd asserts that, regardless of her accomplishments and improvements in PBHA’s governance, these most recent changes do not come as a surprise.

“When I accepted this position, I was aware that at a certain point a decision had to be made,” Kidd said. “It wasn’t good for PBHA or for University Hall to have me shuffling back and forth. Something had to happen.”