Perkins Asks That New House Lessen Crowding

Elliott Perkins '23, Master of Lowell House, said yesterday he feared the Eighth House might not be used to relieve existing overcrowding. Instead, Perkins said, the new space may be allocated to freshmen now forced to commute and to those upperclassmen currently in Claverly and Wigglesworth.

"If they do not keep the forced commuters commuting, and I fear they won't," Perkins commented, "the Houses will continue to be overcrowded. I had assumed that the new House would be used to relieve this situation and hope that it will be," he continued.

Since the overcrowded House functions inefficiently as an educational unit, we must decrease the number of occupants," Perkins maintains, asserting that "Admissions should be set in terms of residence, looking forward to space available in the Houses."

"Currently you cannot have in residence a college based on 1100 admissions," Perkins pointed out. "The College should not perpetuate this overhead, but instead should decrease the number of freshmen admitted," he concluded.

Wilbur J. Bender '27, Dean of Admissions, commented, "Perkins has a very good case and I basically agree with him. We should limit the size of the freshman class. This is a manifestation of my position against expanding the size of the College. I am against expansion, despite the fact that I receive more pressure from those wanting to be admitted than perhaps anyone."

This year, 95 freshmen were forced to commute, compared to 25 for the preceding freshman class. In the last few years, the number of voluntary commuters has decreased, taxing the University's limited housing facilities, and making "forced commuting" increasingly necessary.