"Even during the tough economic times we have increased aid to students," he says. "We plan to continue to be need-blind."

Still, it won't be easy. While Harvard College admissions are need-blind, some of Harvard's poorer graduate schools are unable to maintain such an expensive policy. The University will make financial aid dollars a major priority in its upcoming capital campaign, administrators say.

Harvard and other institutions can concentrate on raising money for future needs, but Brown will have to deal with the reverberations of the recent crisis.

During the height of the siege, demonstrators gathered in the Corporation Room, the inner sanctum of Brown's governing body. There they demanded an immediate $50 million increase in Brown's capital campaign, with the money designated to return student admissions to a need-blind status.

Brown officials do not object to a need-blind goal, but administrators and student protesters still sharply disagree over the university's ability to increase its capital campaign from $450 to $500 million.

Executives say that a $50 million increase devoted entirely to financial aid is impossible.

"After polling and researching alumni across the country for the last three years, we set a realistic goal of $450 million," Reichley said. "An Extra $50 million is ridiculous. There is no way we could raise that amount of money."

Reichley says the $40 million already earmarked for undergraduate financial aid will be hard to raise.

"Even if we raise an extra $50 million, we don't know what it will be directed towards. We have other competing needs," Reichley says, adding that all campaign goals are below the desired amount.

"The president will not make false promises," he says.

But members of Students for Aid and Minority Admissions (SAMA) claim that the university can indeed raise the additional money.

"They don't have a plan to make it a reality," says senior Gregory F. Winter, who was inside the building from 8:30 a.m. until the arrests shortly after 5 p.m.

"The university says it is committed to need-blind admissions, but history says it is untrue," he says. "They can raise their goal. ninety million dollars (for undergraduate financial aid) is feasible."

Winter notes that the capital campaign could be extended beyond the projected three years if necessary.

Reichley says he has not ruled out attaining need-blind admissions eventually, but admitted that it is unlikely to be achieved anytime soon.