Women Endorse Coeducation of Yard

Sixteen female residents of the Yard yesterday endorsed coeducational living there and said that it should be continued in the future.

According to statistics released by Genevieve H. Austin, assistant Dean of Students, only 3 out of 200 women residing in the Yard this year have indicated Radcliffe as their first choice of residence.

Most of the women interviewed yesterday said that the central location of the Yard and of the Houses is the prime reason why they do not want to move to Radcliffe.

Eva C. Guinan '76 said that although she gave the idea of applying to Radcliffe serious thought, the walk from Currier, especially in cold weather, was the determining factor in her choice, regardless of her very favorable feelings concerning the Currier facilities.

Proximity to classes, the subway, movies and bars that is offered by the Yard and to some extent by most Harvard houses seemed to be very important to all of the women interviewed.

Many women also said they felt that the Square is a center of social activity while others indicated that Radcliffe social life was not suitable to their tastes.

"Radcliffe is a modicum of solitude," R. Michelle Green '74, upperclass advisor in Weld Hall said. Green, who lived in Currier during her freshman year, said "that although I loved Currier dearly, the 15-minute walk was a pain."

Green also said that the scarcity of black men at Radcliffe does not make Radcliffe desirable for black women.

The nature of relationships in the Yard range the full scale from friendly, "brother to sister" according to Barbara L. Lyons '76, to romantic relationships. Barbara M. Myatt '76 said that she and her roomate Leah C. Martin '76 liked playing a domestic and maternal role "because a lot of the guys act like they need their mothers."

Most women agreed that they preferred buildings where men and women occupied alternate floors as opposed to alternate entryways.

Weld Hall is coeducational by alternate floors while Hollis Hall has separate male-female entries. Hollis Hall residents did not appear as satisfied with the arrangement, stating that their dormitory was not really coeducational.

Alisande L. Citron '76, a Hollis resident, said that "I wish this dorm had been coed." Joan T. Freeman, another Hollis resident said that "while it was interesting being a guinea pig, I really think that separate entries were not successful.