1625 Freshmen To Register Today

Sixteen hundred and twenty-five members of the Class of '84--which boasts the lowest female/male ratio and the highest percentage of minorities of any Harvard class--will troop into Memorial Hall this morning to register for their first semester of Veritas.

This weekend, more than 655 women, 340 minority-group members and other freshmen descended on the Yard to begin a week-long orientation that will include lectures, parties and placement testing.

Henry C. Moses, dean of freshmen, officially kicked off the class's sojourn at Harvard during yesterday's opening exercises in the Tercentenary Theater.

Greeting the freshmen as "the incomparable Class of 1984," Moses urged them "not to try to invent a version of yourself that you think Harvard somehow requires--be yourself."

Presidents Bok and Horner echoed Moses, and both warned freshmen not to constrict themselves by making career decisions too quickly.

"I very much hope you will not squander the value of your education by preoccupying yourself with your career," Bok said, adding, "What we need in this country are more practitioners with the breadth to connect themselves to broader human needs."

"Darn Fool"

After encouraging students to learn from each other a well as from Harvard, Bok recommended that they consider spending time away from the University. "Here's this darn fool of a president telling them to leave whenever they want--but I believe it," Bok told apprehensive parents.

Horner dubbed the freshmen "George Orwell's class and called on them "to help shape Orwell's 1984, the '90s, the 21st century and Radcliffe's second century."

Urging each freshman to preserve "the courage of your own convictions," Horner espoused what she called the advice on top of the mayonnaise jar: "Keep cool, but do not freeze."

Dean Rosovsky concluded the afternoon of speeches by lauding the Core Curriculum as a system allowing each student to "achieve a humane understanding of the modern world."

Rosovsky challenged the Class of '84 not to retreat into small groups, but rather to remember the opportunity Harvard provides to meet a variety of people. "God Almighty, do we have diversity," he said.

Joseph D. Bowen '84 said yesterday he viewed the speeches as "good pep talks," adding that he believed they served their purpose of relaxing freshmen.

But Edward J. Combs '84 said he found the afternoon lacking in substantive advice. "I got a little tired of hearing all the superlatives about us," he said.

Acknowledging that a long hour of advice and praise had passed before he began to speak, Rosovsky prefaced his remarks by noting, "It's 20 after four, and I wonder how the first set has gone in the Borg-McEnroe match."