Union Dorm First-Years Find Homogeneity

Lauding Harvard for its student diversity, the College's handbook for first-year parents proclaims "when all is well" each dorm should be a "microcosm" of the Harvard community--racially, geographically and on the basis of student interests.

By this standard, all is not well with the class of 2002.

In one dorm, students report that at least half of the residents are athletes; in another, 14 of 15 on one floor are interested in concentrating in math or science. In one suite, all of the roommates are black; in another, three of six are from Miami, with one other from St. Petersburg, Fla.

On a campus that converted three years ago to randomized housing for upperclass students, these skewed distributions blatantly conflict with the official College line--in addition to the handbook's description of the ideal first-year room.

While some homogenous living arrangements can be found every year, this year the majority of these "clusters" are in the three Union dorms, which fall under the auspices of new Assistant Dean of Freshmen Ian D'Aoust. According to one proctor, D'Aoust said he placed students with common interests together, despite the Freshman Dean's Office (FDO) stated commitment to diversity.

"Our aims in freshman rooming find their counterpart in the randomization of the upperclass Houses, a policy which the FDO welcomed and we continue to support," wrote Dean of Freshman Elizabeth Studley Nathans in an e-mail to The Crimson.

Whether the FDO intentionally deviated from its policy by placing similar students together, or whether this year's distributions are simply a result of D'Aoust's individual choices, is unclear because D'Aoust and the FDO did not answer repeated, specific about this year's distribution. But either way, the result is the same: a partial return to non-randomized housing.

The students themselves say they are not displeased to be living in a "jock" dorm, or with roommates who are of similar race or academic interest. But, on the flip side, they say that they would not recommend homogeneous groupings College-wide, affirming the administration's basic commitment to diversity and integration.

"I definitely see some merit in making sure people feel comfortable where they are," says Kathleen, E. Campbell '00, a first-floor prefect in Greenough. "But I don't think that necessarily means plac- ing people in ethnic or interest-basedhomogeneous groups."

Mather Revisited

Like Mather House in the days before then-Deanof the College L. Fred Jewett '57 decided to baseassignments to Houses on a lottery system,students say Pennypacker is now known acrosscampus as the "jock dorm."

"It's pretty obvious that there are a lot ofathletes, and that's widely recognized throughoutthe freshman class," says Anh M. Nguyen '00, theperfect yard captain for the Union dorms.

But most students, athletes and non-athletesalike, praise dorm life in Penny-packer, sayingthe residents share a penchant for partying.

"I think it's a good idea to put peopletogether who are louder and more social," saidPennypacker resident Eleanor I. Benko '02, who isherself not a varsity athlete. "But I think interms of interests it could be more diverse."

Some students in Pennypacker say theirsociability seems to have played a larger role inthe placement process than their common interests.

"The grouping tendency was more along the linesof how outgoing they thought people were going tobe," says Samuel A. Taylor '02, a recruitedfootball player. In his room, there is anotherrecruited varsity football player, one varsitylacrosse player and one basketball player.

Many of the dorm's residents say the FDOappears to have taken what they wrote on theirhousing forms into account, grouping them withstudents who had similar habits and levels ofsociability. Many of them circled a sociabilitylevel of 4 or 5-with 5 being the most social-ontheir housing forms.

In the summer before first-years arrive, theFDO requires students to complete housingapplications in which they are asked to describetheir ideal roommate. They also indicate personalhabits, such as their preferred level of neatness,the hours they keep and their favorite types ofmusic.

Nathans emphasizes that Harvard housing is"still done 'by hand' by the three assistantdeans" as opposed to a computer sorting systemused at other colleges, in order to try to createthe best possible living situations. But shewrites that Harvard "is committed to ensuringthat students experience in our dormitories and inthe Houses as well as within the classroom thechallenges of living and working with individualswhose back grounds, interests, values, and beliefsdiffer form their own."

But many of the Pennypacker athletes say theyenjoy living without such "challenges." They saythey like the company of others who come hometired at night after a hard day of practice andwho keep up with sports scores and watch games.

"I think it's pretty cool. Coming in I alreadyknew some guys," says varsity football player EricM.C. Lahaie '02, who lives on the first floor ofPennypacker with a varsity soccer player, avarsity water polo player and a rower.

"I wanted at least one roommate to be anathlete so I could have someone to relate to,"Lahaie says.

Others say ensuring roommate compatibilityshould only go so far and say they wish wereexperiencing more of the diversity of Harvard.

"I love it, but I also feel like I am missingout sometimes," says Carrie M. McGraw '02, who wasrecruited for track and field, and lives with twocoxswains for first-year crew. "I said I didn'twant to be necessarily paired up with otherathletes."

Nathans acknowledges that the FDO, in itsattempts to give appropriate consideration tostudent preferences, "often...find[s] that we havebrought together more students of similarbackgrounds, interests, or even ethnicities thanwe aspire to do.

"We deeply regret such situations, and whenthey occur, we work hard to diversify students'experience and acquaintances in other ways," shewrites.

But the students and prefects say the housingsituation in Pennypacker has been a success.

"I don't think it's a problem at all," saysMarianne E. McPherson '01, a Pennypackerfourth-floor prefect. The distribution "doesn'tseem random, but I do think it's working. They'rea great group."

Students and prefects say the group as a wholereflects the racial diversity of the College, evenif many of the minority students are groupedtogether.

Laura. I. Martinez '02, from Puerto Rico, livesin a suite on the fourth floor of Pennypacker withtwo international students, both from Asia, and anAsian-American student.

"We account for all of the diversity on thisfloor." Martinez says. "I'm fine with it."

Clustering Effect

While Pennypacker in the only dorm which hastaken on a character similar to that of one of thenonrandomized Houses, the other Union dorms aremarked by a clustering effect.

Although Hurlbut and Greenough seem to reflecta "cross-section" of the first-year class,rooms-or even hallways-contain many students withsimilar academic or athletic interests, or racialor geographical backgrounds.

"There's diversity within the dorm itself, butin those two floors, the rooming groups aredefinitely done by some adjoiningcharacteristics," says Melissa B. Coffee '01, aprefect for the first and second floors ofGreenough.

Greenough resident Eunice J. Kindred '02, whois half black and half Filipino, says she neverexpected to be living with two other black women.But she says she is happy with the arrangement.

"I was surprised because I didn't think I Wouldbe rooming with people of the same race," shesays. "But I would definitely go for it again."

Kindred says she believes she and her roommateswere paired more for their shared interests inmusic and sports although she speculates that racehad some effect on the decision.

"They also had our pictures on the [housing]application...so I guess that might have been afactor," she says.

Nathans strongly denies that students areplaced together on the basis of race, saying suchgroupings are "absolutely incompatible" with theFDO's approach to residential living.

Students have also found themselves in suitesor hallways where particular academic interestsare over-represented.

Joseph M. Adelman '02, who is considering aconcentration in history or classics, is the lonehumanities concentrator in a crowd of science andmath lovers on the first floor of Hurlbut.

The eight other men living in singles off ofhis common room and the six women living acrossthe hall are all planning to concentrate inscience or math.

But Adelman says the living arrangement giveshim the opportunity to make friends with people hemight not otherwise have met.

"Socially, the situation works pretty well," hesays. " In a sense it's given me a larger group offriends."

Swimmer Donald E. Blanchard '02 lives inHurlbut with four other varsity athletes.

"I was really looking forward to roommates whowanted to catch a game on the weekend," Blanchardsays.

Matthew P. Weinshall '02 shares a six-personsuite on the first floor of Greenough with threefellow Floridians, including David S. Fischer'02-one of his good friends since elementaryschool. The two did not request to room together.

Nathans writes that the practice of assigningstudents is not perfect-and that deans do notalways meet their goal of diversity within roominggroups.

"And when we err, we of course review ourprocedures, hoping to refine our rooming processto avoid such groupings for the future. We willnever, I fear, get it 'all right." Nathans writes.

But some students in less than diverse roomshave heard that homogenous groupings are notalways an accident.

In the case of the only two female suites onthe third floor of Weld, residents say AssistantDean of Freshmen Eleanor A. Sparagana told one ofthe 12 residents that they had been "handpicked"to live together.

In one of the rooms, four of the six women areblack.

"Maybe the first 10 minutes we were all like,'Oh, does this happen often?" Libby Shani '02says.

But she and her roommate Sarah P. Rotman '02,who are both white, say that despite the skewedracial distribution, the six roommates are allenergetic and social and, for those reasons, getalong well.

Striking a Balance

First-years and prefects across the campusagree that this year's housing situation works,but they do not think that homogenous groupingsshould be used across the College.

Nguyen. perfect yard captain, says typicalHarvard students spend the majority of their timein clubs and sports with people who share similarinterests of traits. She says the first-year dormsshould offer students the opportunity to meetdifferent types of people.

In a living community where many people sharecommon interests, "the people who aren't like thatfeel out of place," Nguyen says, "But I canunderstand why [the FDO] might do it because itmight make people more comfortable."

While Lahaie says he enjoys living with manyother athletes, he acknowledges that he might feelout of place if he were not so athleticallyinclined.

He suggests there should be a balance betweentotally random first-year housing and thehomogenous arrangement in Pennypacker.

According to Justin C. Denham '02 a varsityvolleyball player in Greenough, segregated groupsdo little to foster an understanding of othertypes of students.

"Sure, putting totally random people togetheris good for exposure," says Denham. "If you get anathletic dorm and an arts dorm...it closes themoff from everyone else."CrimsonMelissa K. CrockerDEFINING DIVERSITY: ANNIE WONG '02lives with two international students and one fromPuerto Rico. They say they represent the diversityfor their floor.

Mather Revisited

Like Mather House in the days before then-Deanof the College L. Fred Jewett '57 decided to baseassignments to Houses on a lottery system,students say Pennypacker is now known acrosscampus as the "jock dorm."

"It's pretty obvious that there are a lot ofathletes, and that's widely recognized throughoutthe freshman class," says Anh M. Nguyen '00, theperfect yard captain for the Union dorms.

But most students, athletes and non-athletesalike, praise dorm life in Penny-packer, sayingthe residents share a penchant for partying.

"I think it's a good idea to put peopletogether who are louder and more social," saidPennypacker resident Eleanor I. Benko '02, who isherself not a varsity athlete. "But I think interms of interests it could be more diverse."

Some students in Pennypacker say theirsociability seems to have played a larger role inthe placement process than their common interests.

"The grouping tendency was more along the linesof how outgoing they thought people were going tobe," says Samuel A. Taylor '02, a recruitedfootball player. In his room, there is anotherrecruited varsity football player, one varsitylacrosse player and one basketball player.

Many of the dorm's residents say the FDOappears to have taken what they wrote on theirhousing forms into account, grouping them withstudents who had similar habits and levels ofsociability. Many of them circled a sociabilitylevel of 4 or 5-with 5 being the most social-ontheir housing forms.

In the summer before first-years arrive, theFDO requires students to complete housingapplications in which they are asked to describetheir ideal roommate. They also indicate personalhabits, such as their preferred level of neatness,the hours they keep and their favorite types ofmusic.

Nathans emphasizes that Harvard housing is"still done 'by hand' by the three assistantdeans" as opposed to a computer sorting systemused at other colleges, in order to try to createthe best possible living situations. But shewrites that Harvard "is committed to ensuringthat students experience in our dormitories and inthe Houses as well as within the classroom thechallenges of living and working with individualswhose back grounds, interests, values, and beliefsdiffer form their own."

But many of the Pennypacker athletes say theyenjoy living without such "challenges." They saythey like the company of others who come hometired at night after a hard day of practice andwho keep up with sports scores and watch games.

"I think it's pretty cool. Coming in I alreadyknew some guys," says varsity football player EricM.C. Lahaie '02, who lives on the first floor ofPennypacker with a varsity soccer player, avarsity water polo player and a rower.

"I wanted at least one roommate to be anathlete so I could have someone to relate to,"Lahaie says.

Others say ensuring roommate compatibilityshould only go so far and say they wish wereexperiencing more of the diversity of Harvard.

"I love it, but I also feel like I am missingout sometimes," says Carrie M. McGraw '02, who wasrecruited for track and field, and lives with twocoxswains for first-year crew. "I said I didn'twant to be necessarily paired up with otherathletes."

Nathans acknowledges that the FDO, in itsattempts to give appropriate consideration tostudent preferences, "often...find[s] that we havebrought together more students of similarbackgrounds, interests, or even ethnicities thanwe aspire to do.

"We deeply regret such situations, and whenthey occur, we work hard to diversify students'experience and acquaintances in other ways," shewrites.

But the students and prefects say the housingsituation in Pennypacker has been a success.

"I don't think it's a problem at all," saysMarianne E. McPherson '01, a Pennypackerfourth-floor prefect. The distribution "doesn'tseem random, but I do think it's working. They'rea great group."

Students and prefects say the group as a wholereflects the racial diversity of the College, evenif many of the minority students are groupedtogether.

Laura. I. Martinez '02, from Puerto Rico, livesin a suite on the fourth floor of Pennypacker withtwo international students, both from Asia, and anAsian-American student.

"We account for all of the diversity on thisfloor." Martinez says. "I'm fine with it."

Clustering Effect

While Pennypacker in the only dorm which hastaken on a character similar to that of one of thenonrandomized Houses, the other Union dorms aremarked by a clustering effect.

Although Hurlbut and Greenough seem to reflecta "cross-section" of the first-year class,rooms-or even hallways-contain many students withsimilar academic or athletic interests, or racialor geographical backgrounds.

"There's diversity within the dorm itself, butin those two floors, the rooming groups aredefinitely done by some adjoiningcharacteristics," says Melissa B. Coffee '01, aprefect for the first and second floors ofGreenough.

Greenough resident Eunice J. Kindred '02, whois half black and half Filipino, says she neverexpected to be living with two other black women.But she says she is happy with the arrangement.

"I was surprised because I didn't think I Wouldbe rooming with people of the same race," shesays. "But I would definitely go for it again."

Kindred says she believes she and her roommateswere paired more for their shared interests inmusic and sports although she speculates that racehad some effect on the decision.

"They also had our pictures on the [housing]application...so I guess that might have been afactor," she says.

Nathans strongly denies that students areplaced together on the basis of race, saying suchgroupings are "absolutely incompatible" with theFDO's approach to residential living.

Students have also found themselves in suitesor hallways where particular academic interestsare over-represented.

Joseph M. Adelman '02, who is considering aconcentration in history or classics, is the lonehumanities concentrator in a crowd of science andmath lovers on the first floor of Hurlbut.

The eight other men living in singles off ofhis common room and the six women living acrossthe hall are all planning to concentrate inscience or math.

But Adelman says the living arrangement giveshim the opportunity to make friends with people hemight not otherwise have met.

"Socially, the situation works pretty well," hesays. " In a sense it's given me a larger group offriends."

Swimmer Donald E. Blanchard '02 lives inHurlbut with four other varsity athletes.

"I was really looking forward to roommates whowanted to catch a game on the weekend," Blanchardsays.

Matthew P. Weinshall '02 shares a six-personsuite on the first floor of Greenough with threefellow Floridians, including David S. Fischer'02-one of his good friends since elementaryschool. The two did not request to room together.

Nathans writes that the practice of assigningstudents is not perfect-and that deans do notalways meet their goal of diversity within roominggroups.

"And when we err, we of course review ourprocedures, hoping to refine our rooming processto avoid such groupings for the future. We willnever, I fear, get it 'all right." Nathans writes.

But some students in less than diverse roomshave heard that homogenous groupings are notalways an accident.

In the case of the only two female suites onthe third floor of Weld, residents say AssistantDean of Freshmen Eleanor A. Sparagana told one ofthe 12 residents that they had been "handpicked"to live together.

In one of the rooms, four of the six women areblack.

"Maybe the first 10 minutes we were all like,'Oh, does this happen often?" Libby Shani '02says.

But she and her roommate Sarah P. Rotman '02,who are both white, say that despite the skewedracial distribution, the six roommates are allenergetic and social and, for those reasons, getalong well.

Striking a Balance

First-years and prefects across the campusagree that this year's housing situation works,but they do not think that homogenous groupingsshould be used across the College.

Nguyen. perfect yard captain, says typicalHarvard students spend the majority of their timein clubs and sports with people who share similarinterests of traits. She says the first-year dormsshould offer students the opportunity to meetdifferent types of people.

In a living community where many people sharecommon interests, "the people who aren't like thatfeel out of place," Nguyen says, "But I canunderstand why [the FDO] might do it because itmight make people more comfortable."

While Lahaie says he enjoys living with manyother athletes, he acknowledges that he might feelout of place if he were not so athleticallyinclined.

He suggests there should be a balance betweentotally random first-year housing and thehomogenous arrangement in Pennypacker.

According to Justin C. Denham '02 a varsityvolleyball player in Greenough, segregated groupsdo little to foster an understanding of othertypes of students.

"Sure, putting totally random people togetheris good for exposure," says Denham. "If you get anathletic dorm and an arts dorm...it closes themoff from everyone else."CrimsonMelissa K. CrockerDEFINING DIVERSITY: ANNIE WONG '02lives with two international students and one fromPuerto Rico. They say they represent the diversityfor their floor.