Unlike the hunger strike, where the students' demand for any senior who wanted to be allowed to live off-off was not granted until months later, the black students were able to get their demand within a fairly short time. They dealt politically and angrily, and got a response with no accusations of self-interest. This was a situation of considerable confusion, but most pleasing results.

In the following spring, shortly after the occupation of University Hall, Bunting once again became a symbol of controversy. This time it was for the Radcliffe Council's decision to put 17 students on probation who had not satisfactorily prepared a symposium on dissent that was their "punishment" for the Paine Hall sit-in.

A group of about 75 angry students-the majority Harvard males-marched to Fay House on April 29 to confront Bunting. In her person-to-person fashion, she was waiting for them on the steps, determined to talk to them. The crowd pushed by her, most of them not realizing that the quiet gray-haired lady was the woman they had come to confront. There was a ludicrous backing-and-filling, and finally the crowd and the president met in her office. The "discussion" about punishments rapidly degenerated into a shouting match, with the by then familiar cry of "Bullshit!" resounding occasionally. The Radcliffe students were disturbed by the vehemence of many of their male counterparts, and eventually the group left resolving nothing. Bunting faced a TV camera and said, "Like so many other things that go on these days, they take a lot of people's time without really wanting to talk about issues-but that's okay by me."

The incident seemed the consummation of so much of the violence and bitterness of that spring-and Bunting was only coincidentally the recipient, because she had tried to listen. Again, politically she had handled things' dreadfully. To announce the probation of 17 students, several of whom had been arrested in University Hall,while emotions were still running high, was incredibly naive. But she was going by Radcliffe's principles, trying to look on it as a family apart from the chaos across the Common.

After that, things got better. People became interested in merger, and politics became less tense. "This year, it seems that people are less active politically," she said recently.

BUNTING, who will be 62 when she steps down from 12 years as Radcliffe's president, said she did not "have the slightest idea" what she will do next. She ruled out the possibility of a post such as a foundation head. "I'm not interested in running things any more.

"I really felt that about ten years was long enough to be president," she said. "But last year, the whole relationship of Harvard and Radcliffe was so messy that they wouldn't have known what to look for. And I felt I should remain in office one more year as details of the new union are being worked out."

Looking back, she expressed satisfaction with her years here, but added, "There's always something you feel you haven't done."