A Little Academic Gambling

Two themes emerged in last week's discussion surrounding President Bok's decision to postpone consideration of Robert L. Trivers '65, associate professor of Biology, for a tenured position, despite the Biology Department's recommendation that Bok offer Trivers tenure immediately.

First, it is clear that Trivers, a biologist specializing in evolutionary theory and social behavior, is a hot item. The biologists are worried that unless Harvard offers him a senior position soon, Trivers-whose work has been called fundamental to the development of sociobiology-will go somewhere else.

And second, it is clear that Bok is not willing to out on a limb in this case, perhaps because it involves the question of the academic merit of sociobiology.

Trivers has only been out of graduate school for five years, and Bok seems to feel there is enough question about the quality of his work to take the gamble on his staying around for reconsideration.

"We are judging someone whose tenure would extend over a great number of years and who has had a rather brief period of professional work in this field," Bok said, declining to comment further.

Bok's wait-and-see attitude may have been prompted by biologists' charged that Trivers's work-and that of other sociobiologists, including E.O. Wilson, professor of Zoology and author of the controversila text "Sociobiology"-is unscientific or untestable.

Even the Biology Department is spilt on the issue. Although its senior faculty members did propose Trivers for a senior position in vertebrate behavior, they did not back the recommendation unanimously.

At the moment, Bok seems likely to lose his gamble that Trivers will stay at Harvard until he has published more-or until sociobiology is more established-because Trivers says he doesn't want to wait the two or three years Bok suggested.