Dormitory Chic

ELITISM manifests itself in many ways in a place as competitive as Harvard. We have final clubs, selective majors and, of course, the admissions process itself. One of the most ludicrous forms of elitism here is the annual scramble by freshmen to be admitted into one of the "prestige" Houses--those Houses which have more applications than spaces every year.

Four students living in Adams House, which has traditionally been one of the most over-subscribed Houses, have taken a praiseworthy step toward ending the aura of prestige there. The four--David L. Johnson '74, James M. Downey '74, John E. Baker '74 and Ronald Beaulieu '73--are proposing an end to the admissions procedures which purport to select the students best suited to live in Adams House.

Under the proposal, the present admissions process, which involves written applications, interviews and recommendations solicited from the House's staff and members, would be replaced by a random lottery of those freshmen who had picked Adams House as their first choice. This system would make desire to live in the House the only criterion for admissions. Beyond this, all applicants would be placed on an equal footing. A first-choice lottery would also serve the demands of the students rather than the demands of the House. As Johnson put it, "What the House needs and the traditions of the House are not nearly as important as the needs of the students."

Although this proposal would remedy only one small part of a much greater malaise, it is nonetheless a beginning. We strongly encourage every House faced with a surplus of applicants to adopt a lottery system along these lines.