350th Celebration

To the Editors of The Crimson:

We are gratified by the reponse to the plans for the undergraduate festivities, especially the Grand Ball. Quite frankly, we thought it would be necessary to drum up people to come. Let me begin with an overview.

The plan for the week was conceived with four goals in mind: First, to provide opportunities for undergraduates to celebrate this important anniversary of the college. Second, through House and college-wide events to create occasions for special character and quality that will prove inspiring and memorable. Third, to honor the alumni and faculty who have achieved distinction in some field of letters, music, and intellectual pursuit and who, as with the Masters and Senior Tutors, promote leadership and vision for us. Fourth, to create social events that will allow students to meet each other in pleasant surroundings and simply to have a good time.

I am sorry that our plans have been the subject of criticism in your pages. The stories have been mostly one-sided and distort the purpose and nature of the events. The committee is always open to good ideas and to offers of practical assistance.

The plan includes a mixture of types of events, some for House members and others college wide. They are meant in total to accommodate everyone. A full program will be distributed next week that will include events not emphasized in the stories or enumerated in the paid advertisements. The Grand Ball continues to be of special interest. It was not planned on a selective basis. Invitations were sent to every current member of the College by means of the Registar's mailing list. Students were asked to respond promptly because capacity was limited. We have expanded it, as you know, and hope to meet a substantial part of the demand for tickets. Only ten percent of the events planned are by invitation.

I wish, finally, to assure the community that a careful consultative process was followed in the formulation of these plans. It included discussion with the Masters, House Committee Chairmen and the Committee on College Life. The Undergraduate Council was kept informed through its representatives on the Committee on College Life. In the nature of the case, the 350th committee members took the lead where a vacuum existed. I am grateful to the members for all the time spent through the spring and summer to plan these events. I hope you will accept and enjoy the festivities in the spirit in which they are offered. A.C. Epps   Co-Chairman of the 350th Committee   Dean of Students