A Home, NOT a House

Most first-year Yardlings take for granted that they will head to a House for their upperclass years.

Since Harvard guarantees all of its undergraduates housing for each of their four years, the housing office can boast that 96 percent of students live in the residential Yard or House system.

Currently 253 students live off-campus. Another 33 live in the Dudley Co-op and 12 in the Jordan Co-op.

Many students who live off-campus have tried and decided against the residential system, saying they felt restricted by the constant amalgam of their academic and personal lives.

"I feel stifled...You don't have a private space. You feel like a Harvard student 24 hours a day," says Jeremy D. Kleiner '98, a student who plans to live off-campus next year. "Paradoxically, you feel less inclined to participate with activities on campus."

Other students say they feel that the residential system bears little resemblance to "real" life outside of college.

"[The House system] teaches that privilege is good and other people should take care of me, "says Melissa S. Weininger '95-'96. She now lives in the Dudley Co-op.

Weininger says she sees the communal cooking and cleaning responsibilities in the Dudley Co-op as necessary life skills she felt she should learn before graduation.

Maggie Y. Han '79-'95. a resident of the Jordan Co-op, says she agrees: "[In a Co-op] you cook, you clean, you are an adult. You're not part of that cattle drive three times a day [in the dining hall.]"

Many students living in the Co-ops and off-campus have taken time off or transferred from other colleges.

Housing alternatives provide more "mature" options for non-traditional students, said one resident of the Jordan Co-op.

"The Co-op [is] really nurturing and warm," said transfer student Heather H. Phillips '97. "Transfer students need that and don't get that from Harvard...[One feels] very isolated [in the Houses] without the freshman experience...[It's] not random that we find this."

The Dudley Co-op: Social Responsibility

The Dudley Co-op is a 10-minute walk from the Yard down Massachusetts Avenue toward Porter Square.

Thirty-three students and two tutors live in two Victorian-style houses, one of which includes the kitchen, dining room and sitting room. Suspended above the main entrance to the Co-op is a sign which reads: "Center for High-Energy Metaphysics."

The sign, say some residents, is symbolic. In 1969, students stormed University Hall to protest the Vietnam War and push for curriculum changes. The event was planned and coordinated in Dudley's basement, according to resident Richard Cole '95.

Earlier this year the Les-bian Avengers, a radical les-bian group which staged a fire-eating demonstration in downtown Boston, held planning meetings at Dudley.

Dudley Co-op itself became the site of social action in the early 1970s. When a homeless man came to the door, students invited him to stay.

The legend became the basis for the 1994 movie "With Honors."

Residents say that the Dudley Co-op still retains some of the flavor of its more radical days.

During a recent tour, Weininger pointed out to a visitor "The Wall of Communism," a panel along the stairwell, on which communist statements are written in various languages.

In many ways, this apparent commitment to social awareness and non-conformity helps unite this community.

Many members of the Co-op say they felt that the pre-professional atmosphere of the Houses was not "healthy," says Katherine M. Raab '94-'95.

A Home, Not a House

Some residents describe the atmosphere of the Dudley Co-op as being as warm as the fresh bread they bake daily.

In the Houses, "no one would say 'hello,'" says Raab.

"[In Dudley] people are thoughtful of other people," said the mother of Karin L. Riley '95-'96. "It's a place where a mother is glad to see [her daughter] has a family."

Former Dudley residents who still live nearby will often drop in for Sunday Brunch, says Cole.

"It provides an excellent mix of Harvard and independence which isn't provided in the Houses," Cole adds.

"This is my home," says Phillips. "This is not just a place to live."

One difference Phillips notes is the quality of mealtime conversations.

She described dinner in the Houses or Union as a "show," in which students watch "who comes in with who."

Dudley residents say they appreciate the privacy and freedom from judgment non-House life offers.

Dudley resident Daniel E. Smith '95-'96 characterized the residents of Dudley as "a raving bunch of liberals."

Raab noted that "sexuality is not an issue." She said that there is a significantly higher proportion of gay, lesbian and bisexual students in Dudley than in the House system.

First-year students can move into Dudley after their Fall semester, but most of the Co-op residents are juniors and seniors. More than half of the residents will be graduating this semester.

One advantage of life in the Co-op is the lower cost. Each resident of Dudley has a single--but rooming is about half the cost of living in the Houses, and board is about one-third of what the Harvard meal plan costs, according to Smith.

The Jordan Co-op

The other on-campus housing alternative is the Jordan Co-op in Jordan W. This building is located across the street from Cabot House, which provides its official House affiliation.

Residents say the atmosphere of Jordan is quite different from that of Dudley.

Currently housing only 12 students and one tutor, this Co-op is significantly smaller than Dudley.

Because it is so small, "you become really close with [this] group of people," Han says.

Jordan resident Monica A. Coleman '95 says that as a rising sophomore she was attracted by both the Co-op's familial atmosphere and by a "guaranteed single."

"I was floating. I didn't want a random roommate," she says. By choosing Jordan, she did not have to enter the House lottery system at all.

Coleman says she was also attracted by Jordan's proximity to the Quad Houses.

She decided that since the Houses were "still across the street, [I] wouldn't be lonely."

As an official Cabot House member, she says she "[walks] through the House at least once a day."

Because many Co-op residents are students who have lived for at least some time in the "real world," they say they appreciate the independence of the Co-op lifestyle.

One Jordan resident says living there is similar to living in an apartment complex, in terms of the privacy Jordan affords.

The common kitchen and dining facilities still allow students to get to know others well.

"Having been in the real world, this is a more realistic rite of passage," Han said.

Han says she feels that Jordan is "a microcosm of the University but in a fairly autonomous setting."

Before she lived in Jordan, Han moved into an apartment alone and says she felt "very isolated. Being off campus, you just don't hear about things."

Jordan vs. Dudley

While Dudley is relatively far from any other undergraduate housing, Jordan students' proximity to the Quad allows them to take advantage of the facilities Quad House residents use.

And although, like Dudley, Jordan life is much cheaper than that in the Houses, its meal system differs from Dudley's.

The food at Dudley is strictly vegetarian, and residents prepare their own dinner every night.

Jordan accommodates all types of eaters, and residents cook together only on Monday through Thursday.

In addition, Jordan's facilities are also maintained by Harvard, whereas Dudley is more autonomous.

Both residences, however, share a high student turnover rate.

"Every semester has turnover. Character [of Jordan] changes every semester rather than every few years [as in the Houses]," Coleman said.

Off-Campus Housing

The quality and character of off-campus housing varies widely, students say. Still, almost any off-campus living arrangement guarantees more separation of students' academic and personal lives than in the Yard or Houses.

Some students also note short comings of particular houses. After Edmond M. Safra '98 was randomized into Currier House he decided to live off-campus next year with two friends.

"Basically I'd rather stay on campus. [However] I think I'm going to be able to be more at ease and have more space," Safra says. "I find [space] very important and I know the sophomore rooms are real small."

Safra says he plans to look for housing which would allow him to live closer to the Yard than if he were "Quadded." Eventually, Safra says, he plans to move back into on-campus housing, "if the accommodations are better."