4600 Undergraduates Register; Receive One Information Packet

About 6400 undergraduates yesterday braved a steady downpour the familiar barrage of pamphleteers and the fear of dreaded red dots to register at Memorial Hall of spring term.

Red dots turn up on the registration packets of students who have failed to pay action for the following term. While there appeared to be several hundred red dotted packets waiting for students yesterday. Harvard spokesmen declined to disclose the official total.

Students receiving red dotted packets are flot allowed to register until they pay their full bill. In addition, they are subject to a $40 late registration line.

"I guess my father's creditors finally caught up with him." Ronal Ryan '83. A red dot victim, said.

Registration went smoothly and created few delays, according to Margaret E. Law/ registrar of the College. "We haven't had nearly the chaos of recent registrations. "She said.

A dispute over the packets arose in December 1980 which the Committee on Houses and Undergraduate Life refused a request by the Gay Students Association to include a pamphler on homosexuality with other materials disturbuted to students with registration instructions.

Archie C. hpps III. Dean of students, subsequently agreed to provide two packets, one for official University information and the other for the use of all student groups.

But Epps said yesterday that because of a lack of interest in the secondary packets this semester, he decided to discontinue the two-level system.

Only two groups--the Harvard-Radcliffe "Wood Drive and Hillel House--had contacted him about the second information packet. Epps said, and by avoiding the use of 6000 additional envelopes Harvard saved about $600.

Most student groups were not upset at the commission of the second packet, although some organizers said they should have been given greater notice of Epps's decision.

"I was not aware that we had to talk to Epps." Said Michael O"Brien, president of Harvard Student Agencies. "A better approach would have been for the dean's office to contact organizations a month or two in advance."

Seventeen tables were provided for student organization--including Hillel and the Blood Drive--in a hall leading out of the registration area.

A table adorned with photographs of rock star david Bowie served as a podium for a tape machine blaring a few of the musician's recent recordings.

"We are recruiting people for a play centered around Bowie and this seemed like a good way to get some attention," said Shelley L. Taylor '83, choreographer of the asyet-unnamed play.

Other groups had less exotic displays and tended toward political interests.

"It has gone fairly well, We have close to 50 names, but the highlight of the day has definitely been the Bowie tape," said David Edelman '83, a member of the Harvard Democratic Club.