Help from Harvard

In the middle of all the budget-cutting flurry here this spring, it was a pleasant surprise for Dartmouth to receive a $25 check from the director of Harvard's United Way and Other Charities campaign. It seems we were the beneficiary of a donation to the "other" category. A Harvard acquaintance explained that back in the early 19705, when some of the "longhairs" at Harvard complained that the university's fund-raising efforts for United Way were socially narrow and excluded some "people's charities," Harvard agreed to provide an opportunity for employees to earmark their donations for some "radical alternatives." That's where this year's check tagged for Dartmouth fits in.

It makes one's head swim. Is this some Cambridge troglodyte's way of saying that Dartmouth has swung too far to the left? Or is it a contribution from a loyal alumnus in exile trying to help Dartmouth and take a poke at Harvard at the same time? Maybe it's just Harvard's way of saying there are no hard feelings about the football and hockey seasons. Whatever the reason, thanks.