A. Clayton Spencer, Harvard’s vice president for policy, has served as the right-hand woman for four Harvard presidents.

Some question whether by becoming too exclusive, Harvard and other ultra-selective colleges might eventually discourage qualified applicants from even bothering to apply.

Every Friday, The Crimson publishes a selection of articles that were printed in our pages in years past. April 21, 1953: Moscow University Gets Sacred Ibis Threski, the Lampoon's Sacred Ibis, now rests in Russian territory. Semyon K. Tsarapkin, Deputy Representative of the U.S.S.R. in the United Nations, accepted the Ibis on behalf of the Russian Government yesterday at Russian Delegation Headquarters on 680 Park Avenue, New York City. Michael Maccoby and George S. Abrams, CRIMSON President and Managing Editor who made the presentation on behalf of the Lampoon, expressed the hope that the Lampoon's Ibis would find its final resting place on one of the spires of the new Moscow University, to be opened next fall. Mr. Taarapkin and Mr. Svirin, first secretary of the delegation who acted as interpreter, indicated they would send the bird to Moscow immediately and voiced thanks from the U.S.S.R. for the gift.

Every Friday, The Crimson publishes a selection of articles that were printed in our pages in years past.

The price of a Harvard education continues to rise, with total costs for undergraduates increasing 3.5 percent for the 2012-2013 academic year—to $54,496.

Threats to tie federal funding to the cost of university tuition are unlikely to affect Harvard, Vice President Joseph R. Biden, Jr. said on a conference call with members of the media Thursday.

Though the Free Application for Federal Student Aid, known as the FAFSA and a key document in college financial aid applications, does not recognize same-sex couples, students at Harvard with parents of the same sex have been relatively unaffected by the bureaucratic hurdle, according to Director of Financial Aid Sally C. Donahue.

President Barack Obama announced on Wednesday that he plans to sign an executive order that will ease the financial burden of student loans for many young Americans, including some Harvard undergraduates and graduate students.

A group of Harvard students and community members gathered on the steps of Widener Library Saturday afternoon to show support for the Development, Relief, and Education for Alien Minors Act.

The jump in price will be coupled with a $2 million increase in the financial aid budget, bringing the total cost of financial aid to a record high of more than $160 million.