Houses Divided

Dinner table education has long been considered one of the ideals of Harvard learning. What about lunch-table education?

When students go inter-Housing in the evening, they have most likely forgotten the morning wisdom of their instructors. But at lunchtime, when they have just quit classes, they may remember some small parts of the lectures. They may even want to discuss them. Unless the classmates live in the same house, their aim is frustrated; there is no inter-House at lunch.

This restriction has approximately two supports. First, Houses nearest the Yard and afraid of becoming refueling stations for great hordes on their way from classes to labs. Second, permission of inter-House during midday would decrease House spirit, since there would be no need to eat any substantial meals in home quarters.

The logical solution to problem one is to limit the number of guests in the most highly patronized dining halls, in the manner of the old Adams House rule. Problem two is more subtle. How much a hastily-gobbled frankfurter or dining with one's neighbors helps uphold the House system is unclear. But the integrity of each House, important as that is, should not be allowed to interfere with exchange of ideas which is, after all, the reason for coming to college.

Stimulating discussion should be the purpose of lectures, but most classes provide no outlet for student expression. The dining table will have to be the forum table, arbitrary boundaries notwithstanding.