Uptight in the Quad

As if living miles from the Union weren't bad enough, now the first-years in 29 Garden St. face a brewing North House conspiracy to exclude them from their dining hall.

It is rumored that North House xenophobes are circulating a sign-up sheet to form a patrol guard for their fortress and check ID cards--with no frosh allowed. It's not clear what they will do when they happen upon an unsuspecting, hungry first-year, but any of the imaginable possibilities would surely violate interhouse rules.

Last spring, several river houses sought interhouse rules to curb crowding, but even if their rules are inconvenient and slightly unfair to the rest of the school population, most river houses remain open to outsiders.

But those assigned to 29 Garden St. have few options. They can go to one of the three Quad Houses, or they can make a cold, unpleasant and sometimes dangerous trek to the Union to eat with the rest of their class.

There's an advantage to eating with your class, and we encourage Garden Street residents to make that trek. We wish Harvard would recognize that advantage and live up to its promise to provide adequate shuttle service from 29 Garden to the Yard.

The College, in fact, has been astoundingly short-sighted and irresponsible in its use of 29 Garden St. Administration officials should have anticipated Quad dining hall overcrowding, and should have made plans to accommodate it over the summer.

In the end, North House, no matter how much it wants to preserve its atmosphere, should have more compassion. If North students are determined to limit access to their house, then they should petition for some interhouse rules--we hope some lenient ones. Whatever the case, they shouldn't intimidate or alienate first-year visitors, especially ones who already have enough hardship. People who live in the Quad should understand that.