At a time when Eastern European and Soviet reforms may appear to be weakening communism, one political expert warns that countries with new non-Marxist governments may again go red.

"Whatever these changes are over there, I still think they are reversible . . . more sooner than later," said Zdzislaw Rurarz, former economic adviser for the Polish Communist Party and Poland's former ambassador to Japan.

Granted political asylum in the United States after his 1981 defection from Poland, Rurarz offered the College Republicans yesterday some personal, as well as objective, reasons to suspect that communism has not and will not disappear from European politics -- especially in his native country, where a death sentence has been placed on him.

He said he has no doubt the Soviet block is in a crisis. However, he added, communism has always been in crisis, and always recovers.

Looking at history as proof, Rurarz said no country has ceased to be totally communist without outside intervention. Certain deep-rooted traditions, like civil sacrifice and iron-fisted order, die hard, he said.

In addition, Polish people may become disenchanted with the promises of capitalism, as free food-market revisions have resulted in 10-fold price increases as well as a 40 percent fall in the standard of living, he said.

Under the current regime, farmers also have little incentive to produce, Rurarz said. Polish citizens may soon be longing for "the good old days."

"The Communists are standing on the sidelines and laughing," he said.

Support for Poland's new Solidarity government, as measured by party membership, is not as widespread as before its ascension, Rurarz explained. In fact, leader Lech Walesa's son refused to join the political group, he said.

Instead, many young Poles are now leaning toward anarchism. In addition, a neo-Bolshevik movement is gaining strength, he said.

Some audience members, however, did not agree with Rurarz' argument that European change is reversible.

Roman Cakon, a graduate student in political science, said communism can be affected by nationalism. Police are unwilling to fire on their own people, he explained.

In addition, many of the "fanatics" who have fought for the current form of the ideology, are dead, he said.

"I don't think it is a dynamic movement that we have to be afraid of," Cakon said.

The former ambassador said he thinks the return of communism to Poland is not as threatening as Americans may think, since he is not convinced the current regime is anti-Communist or non-repressive.

For example, five members of the Solidarity government are former communists, he said.

Also, relations between the government and the Soviet Union have been questionable. Ruraz explained that shortly after the last election, the head of the Soviet KGB visited Poland and met only with non-Solidarity officials.

Rurarz claims it was only due to a change in Kremlin thought, that Solidarity was able to retain political power.

Even Walesa says socialism is inevitable in Poland, Rurarz said.