Lottery Revamp Questioned

A top housing official and several house masters yesterday voiced concerns about an Undergraduate Council committee's proposal for revamping the housing lottery.

The "enhanced choice" proposal, unanimously endorsed by the council's Residential Committee on Tuesday, would give a randomly selected 25 percent of first-year rooming blocks their first choice in the spring housing lottery.

The rest of the lottery would then proceed as before, with houses assigned randomly from among students' top four choices.

Enhanced choice, its supporters say, would give students more control over their housing future, while still promoting diversity within the houses fostered by the current randomization system.

But some College officials yesterday raised concerns over the effect restoring any ordered choice would have on the houses.

"It's certainly doable in terms of a method of assignment," said Thomas A. Dingman '67, assistant dean of the college for the house system. "The concerns with the proposal are what led to the changes in the first place: the notion that the houses were getting less and less reflective of the population of the school."

House masters interviewed yesterday said the current system of non-ordered choice has helped diversify the houses, and some viewed the enhanced choice proposal as a step backward.

"My preference remains that of complete randomization," said Dudley House Master Paul D. Hanson.

Non-ordered choice has led to a "healthier environment" of diversity, said Hanson, who is also the Lamont Professor of Divinity at Harvard Di- vinity School.

"I sense a greater mix of people and diversityin my house, but at the same time, there's been noreal change in culture or general atmosphere,"said Winthrop House Master James A. Davis.

Hanson also said that despite the increaseddiversity of the houses, they have each managed tomaintain a "unique ambiance."

In light of the success of non-ordered choice,some have suggested that completerandomization--not the return of orderedchoice--might make more sense.

North House Master J. Woodland Hastings calledtotal randomization "the next step" beyond theexisting system. Davis said he, too, might supportcomplete randomization, but added that enhancedchoice may be a good compromise between proponentsof both randomization and choice.

The council will vote on the enhanced choiceproposal Sunday night. If approved, the proposalwill be presented at the December 9 meeting of theuniversity's Committee on House Life, according toDavid L. Hanselman '94, co-chair of the council'sresidential committee.

At that meeting, the committee will evaluatethe non-ordered choice system, which wasinstituted three years ago on a trial basis.

Dingman said the administration is currentlycompiling data that he hopes will be ready for themeeting, "to show how house populations haveevolved over time."

Dingman said that Dean of the College L. FredJewett '57, who has the final decision on housingmatters, plans no substantial changes to thesystem before this year's housing lottery. ButDingman added that enhanced choice might not beconsidered a "substantial" change

"I sense a greater mix of people and diversityin my house, but at the same time, there's been noreal change in culture or general atmosphere,"said Winthrop House Master James A. Davis.

Hanson also said that despite the increaseddiversity of the houses, they have each managed tomaintain a "unique ambiance."

In light of the success of non-ordered choice,some have suggested that completerandomization--not the return of orderedchoice--might make more sense.

North House Master J. Woodland Hastings calledtotal randomization "the next step" beyond theexisting system. Davis said he, too, might supportcomplete randomization, but added that enhancedchoice may be a good compromise between proponentsof both randomization and choice.

The council will vote on the enhanced choiceproposal Sunday night. If approved, the proposalwill be presented at the December 9 meeting of theuniversity's Committee on House Life, according toDavid L. Hanselman '94, co-chair of the council'sresidential committee.

At that meeting, the committee will evaluatethe non-ordered choice system, which wasinstituted three years ago on a trial basis.

Dingman said the administration is currentlycompiling data that he hopes will be ready for themeeting, "to show how house populations haveevolved over time."

Dingman said that Dean of the College L. FredJewett '57, who has the final decision on housingmatters, plans no substantial changes to thesystem before this year's housing lottery. ButDingman added that enhanced choice might not beconsidered a "substantial" change