You Can Do Something About the Weather

IT MAY HAVE BEEN no sweat off the backs of Harvard students to trudge through the slush-swept streets of Cambridge to their review sections and exams during the worst of the recent spate of bad weather. But the fact that their destinations were being staffed by a near-full complement of Harvard employees was evidence of both the workers' dedication, and some unwise judgments on the part of the University.

Other campuses around Boston closed down for a day or two--MIT, Tufts, Wellesley, and Boston College, to name a few. But Harvard braved the elements and stayed open. "To my knowledge, Harvard has never closed because of flooding--at least not in the twentieth century," said Archie C. Epps III, dean of students, who lives quite close by in Cambridge.

In their most recent newsletter, Medical Area District 65 criticized the administration for its insistence that all employees--including those facing long commutes and treacherous travel conditions--report for work, even during the worst of the foul weather. The union has a good point.

Although Harvard has an undeniable responsibility to its faculty and students to keep its facilities open during adverse weather conditions, imposing as it did in this case upon those worker's health and safety is--equally undeniable--imprudent and unfair.