Freshman Council to Prepare 'Configuide' on House System

The Freshman Council is preparing a configuide on the Houses to be distributed to freshmen next term before they file their House applications.

The "configuide" will be a booklet containing factual information on each House as well as the general impressions of House Masters, tutors and members.

Admissions

A committee of freshmen will interview the Masters and tutors in an attempt to discover the criteria for admission to each House. Donald A. Nicholson '76, vice-president of the Freshman Council, said yesterday that admissions is the most mysterious part of the application process. He said that admissions often causes anxiety among freshmen and that the configuide booklet could alleviate that problem.

The freshmen will also conduct a survey of House members which will sample their impressions and reflections on their House. The major characteristics of the Houses reported from this survey will be included in the booklet for freshmen.

In closing the Union dining hall on weekends, the Administration this year arranged for freshmen to eat their weekend meals at the Houses. Nicholson considers this exposure to the Houses inadequate, although he did say that it provides some contact with up perclassmen. He said he hopes that the booklet prepared by the Council will provide more concrete and complete House information than the weekend meal system.

A similar report on Houses was prepared last year by the Freshman Council, but it was not as extensive as this year's proposed pamphlet.

The Freshman Council committee is operating independently of the Committee on Houses and Undergraduate Life (CHUL). It is however consulting the CHUL on questions of admissions, Nicholson said.

A general organization meeting for any freshman who are not on the Freshman Council but are interested in the Committee on Houses will be held in early January.