A self-study conducted at Williams College to examine the relationship between the college and the federal government, with emphasis on recent years, is described. The following issues are covered: affirmative action and issues of hiring and pay, other new laws and regulations such as the Buckley Amendment and the Occupational Safety and Health Act (OSHA), new entry by established federal agencies such as the Internal Revenue Service, and federal funds going to the college. Opinions were solicited from the college president and key academic and nonacademic staff members. Affirmative action and equal rights laws and regulations have added to the workload of college employees, caused some changes in procedures, and generated sizeable files. The impact of affirmative action on the college's hiring is difficult to assess since the school actively began searching for women faculty members in connection with the decision to become coeducational in 1969. The annual preparation of the "Higher Education General Information Survey" involved considerable time, and unfortunately the information from the survey has not met other reporting or assessment needs. Regulations from the Environmental Protection Agency have required the college to make improvements that were needed but which the college had not established as top priority. OSHA has now become a part of life in the college's buildings and grounds department. It is suggested that requirements to provide access to education for the handicapped bring up the question of whether older buildings need to be put into conformity. Federal funds for student aid and research grants are discussed. (SW)