Freshmen Crowd To Eat in Houses With Union Closed

Freshmen filled Harvard House dining halls to capacity--or a bit more--this weekend, as the Union's new closed on weekends policy took effect.

"We expect that things will settle down." C.Graham Hurlburt. Jr., director of the Food Services Department said yesterday as some students continued to complain about crowding.

"It went rather well for the first week." Hurlburt said. "We're always more crowded in the beginning until people start going to football games and skiing and so forth."

Under the new plan. Yard freshmen will eat their weekend meals at a different Harvard House each month. Each House will accommodate 100 to 150 of them.

Save $100,000

Closing the Union will save the University $100,000 this year. Hurlburt said, cutting students' board fees by $50.

Though an informal survey of student opinion showed general agreement that overcrowding existed most officials contacted remained optimistic. "We had so problems at all," said one official in Adams House yesterday.

"It may well be that Mather seemed overcrowded because it generally isn't said F. Skiddy von Stade. Jr. '38. Master of Master House. "We're going to a and see."

The Committee on House and Undergraduate Life considered alternate plans before adopting the present plan last spring. Most notable among these was one calling for closing some Houses on weekends while upperclassmen would eat in the Union.

However, the Food Services Department is not currently considering a change in policy. Hurlburt said.

"This shouldn't be a problem long if it is one now," he said.