Author(s): Jenna Russell, Globe Staff Date: February 12, 2004 Page: B1
Section: Metro/Region

Think of Harvard, and certain things come to mind: Pretty old buildings. Perfect SAT scores. Books and lectures.

But probably not sex. A new student magazine aims to shake that up. On Monday, school administrators approved H Bomb, a journal being launched by two female undergraduates featuring erotic writing and nude photography.

H Bomb will deal with "sex and the issues surrounding sex for men and women of all sexual orientations and tastes," according to the application submitted by the students to the Committee on College Life. The committee, which includes students, staff, and faculty, voted without opposition - and two abstentions - to grant the magazine official recognition, allowing it to use Harvard's name and facilities, and to hang posters on campus. The approval does not include any funding. The magazine's first issue is expected this spring.

Bombarded with calls yesterday after The Harvard Crimson broke the news about their plans - and reported that they don't "object to H Bomb being called porn" - sophomore Katharina Baldegg and junior Camilla Hrdy issued a brief statement about their intentions that stressed that H Bomb will be literary and artistic, "not a pornographic magazine."

"It will provide comfortable, relaxed discussion that doesn't hold back and puts a lighter spin on something that shouldn't be a restricted or delicate topic at Harvard," they wrote. With their application, they submitted a list of more than 25 students who want to work on the magazine.

The faculty adviser for the magazine, psychology professor Marc Hauser, said in an e-mail he was bothered by the use of the term pornography to describe it.

"It is a literary and art magazine about sex and sexuality," he wrote. "It is an important magazine in that it will attempt to grapple with both interesting and difficult issues, providing a voice for students and an interesting forum for intellectual exchange."

That distinction was little consolation to some campus conservatives. By approving the magazine, senior Gladden J. Pappin said, the committee "seems to be jettisoning any attempt to hold up a standard of decency to which student publications ought to conform." He warned the decision may set a precedent for other colleges.

"Regardless of any literary intent, I'm sure when it arrives on the doorsteps of most young men and women at Harvard, it will be used as porn, not for any artistic purpose," he said. "It won't detract from Harvard's scholarly reputation, but the whole world watches what happens at Harvard."

The new publication was reportedly inspired by erotic magazines at other colleges. Committee members reviewed a copy of a Vassar College magazine called Squirm before voting on H Bomb. Judith H. Kidd, the associate dean of Harvard College and head of the Committee on College Life, said Squirm's content was "very explicit" and made some people uncomfortable, but the decision boiled down to a question of free speech.

Committee leaders also checked with Harvard's general counsel on whether the university would be liable should it be sued by someone who is offended by the sex magazine. Lawyers deemed the free speech issue more important, she said.

Surprising, perhaps, to some who imagine a grade-centered student culture at Harvard, the emergence of a magazine about sex follows other changes in campus culture. New groups are working to foster more social life among students, and the number of student groups on campus has exploded to 287, Kidd said.

Also granted recognition this week were a theater group that will perform for institutionalized children, and clubs for Macintosh computer users and students interested in making comedic films.

Jenna Russell can be reached at jrussell@globe.com.

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