Bidding for House Spirit

Who says randomization has homogenized the Houses? After rushing back from a late night physics lab on a recent Thursday, my roommates and I witnessed a true showing of House character--the auctions.

Arriving late to the Kirkland bidding, we worked our way down to the depths of the house basement and found ourselves in a tightly packed room of boisterous bidders. Stein club was under full swing in the lounge next door, but remnants of the free beer and food were evident amid the bidders. The crowd was loud and boisterous, clearly under the influence of more than just excitement for the next item up for sale. But spirits were high as bidders were urged to go higher and beat out the competing offers.

After watching a few rounds of music lessons, home-baked goodies, and a mountain hike, we decided to drop by the Eliot auction for comparison. To our disappointment, we found a rather staid group of bidders. The auctioneers sported tuxes and bidding proceeded in a prim and proper manner. The massive dining hall seemed sparsely populated and certainly much quieter than its counterpart in Kirkland. I've been told there were several kegs of beer and its partakers in the backgrounds, but clearly they were merely bystanders in an otherwise refined performance.

Appropriately, this elegant affair of Eliot's was raising money for an even more elegant affair, the Fete, Eliot's upscale spring formal. The proceeds of Kirkland's auction, however, were going to benefit HAND functions. And while I'm sure Eliot's HAND is every bit as successful as Kirkland's, and Kirklanders would enjoy the refinement of the Fete as much or as little as Eliot residents, I am still amused by the persisting house character that was evident that Thursday night.

Eliot's reputation as the uppercrest house, home to members of the Porcellian and the likes, was well served by the behavior at the auction. And Kirkland, the traditional home for the jocks, certainly upheld its reputation as the aroma of beer and sideline-like cheering came wafting up from the basement. It's good to see that randomization hasn't killed all remaining bits of House spirit.

After all, the Kirkland auctioneer had it right when an aerial photo of the house came up for bidding. "Come on people," she urged, "this is your house. This is where you've spent three years of your life."