ANNEX ATTITUDE

To the Editors of the Crimson:

Something must be done to make this university administration as well as students aware of the fact that Radcliffe has not been the "Harvard Annex" since the late 1880s. The disregard, disrespect, and offhandedness which anyone living at Radcliffe experiences each day is enough to make any rational individual very irrational very quickly. The prevailing attitude about Radcliffe and its residents may not at first be apparent to the untrained eye or ear, but the tone of it has already become unbearable in the opening weeks of this semester.

A seemingly insignificant but nevertheless annoying example of this attitude took place in English 70. As students were busily filling out section cards, instructions were stated, "Write down your house,...if you live at Radcliffe, just put Radcliffe." A minor point perhaps, but one that sufficiently illustrates that Radcliffe residents, in the minds of some, don't share the house loyalties or individuality with which their Adams, Lowell, or Leverett counterparts are credited.

Another example of this "Annex Attitude" occurred in relation to an English 10 section that met at Hilles Library. Because of the great inconvenience of having to trudge all the way up Garden Street, the section was moved to cramped quarters in 38 Kirkland Street.

Not to be unfair, I can see how having to travel from Hilles to William James in under seven minutes would require some fast moving, but at the same time, residents of Radcliffe are expected to do this daily. And this kind of travelling is fine if you have two hours between classes for lunch, but for those living at Radcliffe who have what amounts to fifty minutes for lunch, the bias against them is phenomenal, as it is becoming increasingly hard to find a Harvard House in which to eat lunch. Eliot, Adams, and Lowell have been closed to unaccompanied non-residents for quite some time. Effective October 1, Quincy House will no longer allow unaccompanied non-residents to use its dining facilities. As more and more Harvard House dining halls close their doors to Radcliffe residents seeking some kind of nourishment and relaxation, (thereby ruling out the Union) other house dining halls will become obviously overcrowded. That Radcliffe residents are frowned upon for eating lunch at other houses may not be apparent to the average river house member, but try sometime presenting a bursars card to the dining hall attendant and repeating the words "Currier House". Notice the frown that will automatically appear on the face of this person as she or he puts another mark in the "Radcliffe Section." And students are no better.

The number of times in the past 2 weeks that I have answered the question, "Where are you living this year?" only to be told. "Too bad, maybe you'll be able to move down next semester," is enough to make me want to strangle over 30 people (thereby alleviating a good per centage of overcrowding in the River Houses).

Much has to be done, beyond merged admissions, equal access, and new housing proposals to make Harvard and Radcliffe and their residents equal members of the same community, and if at some point at least one stark-raving mad Radcliffe student storms a dining hall attendant or section person, well, don't say you weren't warned... Holly Sean Kennedy '78