Beginning this fall, students who have become estranged from their parents will have an easier time convincing the financial aid office that their aid packages should be increased, University President Lawrence H. Summers said in early June.

Speaking at the June 6 annual meeting of the Harvard Gay and Lesbian Caucus, Summers said that at his instruction the financial aid office was drafting new guidelines for the process under which students who develop irreconcilable conflicts with their parents may petition to be considered financially independent.

Being considered financially independent frees disowned students from the responsibility of making up the portion of their tuition that their parents withhold.

Members of the Harvard bisexual, gay, lesbian and transgendered community had criticized the current policy that required a student to withdraw from school for two years to prove their independence.

Many believed the policy had unfairly punished students who were disowned for revealing their sexuality.

Honoring Early Decision

After speculation that Harvard would allow students who had been accepted under binding Early Decision programs at other colleges to enroll at Harvard, the Office of Admissions and Financial Aid released a statement in late July saying Harvard will honor the Early Decision system.

“It is our expectation that students admitted elsewhere under binding Early Decision will honor their previous commitment and not matriculate at Harvard,” the statement said.

The statement does not make clear, however, how the College would treat students who tried to break binding early commitments and attend Harvard.

McGrath Lewis said that if such a case arose, Harvard would “certainly consider rescinding their admission” and “will not allow the student to enroll.”

The policy does not represent a departure from past practice, as the National Association of College Admissions Counselors voted last fall to allow high school students to apply to both an Early Decision and an Early Action school with the caveat that the Early Decision application “supersedes” all others.

McGrath Lewis said she does not “think there was any support for [the] idea” of permitting students accepted under Early Decision elsewhere to enroll.

Harken Stock Speculation

The company that manages Harvard’s endowment came under scrutiny this summer for its ownership of more than $28 million worth of stock in Harken Energy Corporation in 1990.

The large figure prompted some to speculate that the University is the unknown buyer of President Bush’s shares in the Texas-based oil and gas company, though Harvard Management Company (HMC) officials denied the purchase.