EX UMBRIS ET IMAGINIBUS

Again last spring the Central Committee of Deans was faced with a large number of men unassigned to the Houses. This situation, through a careful study of individual cases, was considerably rectified, and now the various Houses have sufficient vacancies among the higher-priced rooms to accommodate all of the scholastically eligible men.

Unfortunately, these rooms that have been made available are in the higher priced group. At first thought the logical course to follow seems to be to make price adjustments; a study of the situation, however, shows that such a course would be impossible. The University is not in a favorable enough economic position to reduce the prices of these rooms to an accommodating level, and as the men concerned are unable to pay the prevailing rates for the available rooms, an impasse has been created.

There is no doubt that it would be unfair to present members of a House to permit other students to use the dining room and library to numbers in excess of the House capacity. It is even more unfair, however, for a group of men who have proved themselves scholastically eligible to be deprived of the many House privileges when sufficient vacancies exist. There is a solution to this perplexing problem. If these men were permitted to become associates of the Houses that have vacancies, in numbers equal only to these vacancies, and were given the use of the House dining room and library, they would gain advantages hitherto inaccessible to them, and the interests of the University would be furthered. This arrangement would not work any hardship on the regular House members; House facilities would not be taxed beyond their capacity; and, since the House masters would naturally retain their present prerogative of chooseing the members, deserving men from this scholastically qualified group could enjoy the privileges so long deprived them.