Since University President Lawrence H. Summers derisively referred to the house tutors at this fair institution as “camp counselors,” there has been wide speculation as to whether he was talking about more than just the College’s emphasis on extracurriculars. While there is a conspicuous absence of Elmer’s Glue and popsicle stick crafts, Harvard does bear some resemblance to summer camp. There’s the awful food, for one thing. FM asked seasoned veterans of the world of lanyards and macramé—camp counselors and FOP leaders—for their thoughts.
“One of the most central characteristics of a camp is the free T-shirt,” writes Michal G. Cohen ’06 in an e-mail. “This year, I’ve made it my personal mission to acquire as many ‘free’ T-shirts as possible—from FOP, giving blood at MGH, one of the career fairs, tie-dye brunch, and most recently the house T-shirts.” She concludes, “If you look at it that way, Harvard is not only camp, it’s really camp times five because the possibilities for free T-shirts are endless, whereas in regular summer camp you only get one T-shirt.” This summer, Cohen will be working at the camp she founded, Stages, in her hometown of Silver Spring, Md. “My highest aspiration for the camp is that one day, we will give out T-shirts,” she quips. “Maybe I can ask Larry Summers to help me.”
Other grizzled veterans see fewer similarities. “Camp is actually much more difficult than Harvard,” says Lauren E. Berk ’06, a former counselor at Camp Oak in California.
The point at which camp and Harvard interesect most explicitly is the Freshman Outdoors Program (FOP). “FOP is definitely summer-campish,” FOP Leader Samuel B. Smolley ’05 says. FOPpers play games like the strangely named Ground Squirrel, which is “probably the only time you’ll hear a Harvard student say ‘shake that bushy tail.’ All dignity goes out the window and it’s a good thing.” FOP Leader Natasha M. Pasternack ’03 agrees, “A FOP trip in itself has some aspect of camp to it. I don’t know how much of it carries over into the school.” Back on campus, Pasternack finds that the similarities between Harvard and camp abound. “You’re on this campus, living with your friends, eating mass-produced food and you’re away from home.”
Although his comment has resulted in criticism, Summers may have been unwittingly on target. After all, what is Harvard but a pricey sleepaway camp? There are games (Beirut, not cat’s cradle), mystery culinary concoctions and classes in Printmaking and Trees. But Larry need not fear for the academic lives of Harvard students—there may still be hope. When asked for a comment, former Boy Scout camp counselor Clay T. Capp ’06 said, “I don’t have time to talk right now—I have to go do schoolwork.”
