Cambridge in Review

"The Cambridge Option" sounds more like a novel about British Higher Education than what it really is--Harvard's plan to provide low-interest loans for faculty members so they can purchase homes in Cambridge.

The scheme, announced late in the fall, angered many Cambridge residents who accused Harvard of further tightening the already puny Cambridge housing market. "It's like putting lemon drops in front of those speculators--they just drool and drool at the thought," City Councilor Alfred E. Vellucci said when he heard the proposal.

Harvard financial vice president Thomas O'Brien said the purpose of the plan is to attract new staff and to improve student faculty relations by moving professors into the city.