Adams Dining Hall Bids Goodbye to the Gong

Gone is the gong.

Now, instead of Adams House students sounding a gong to expose diners from other Houses, stickers on Adams residents' ID cards will help dining hall checkers easily identify non-House residents during peak dining hours.

Dining hall checkers began implementing the new policy last week by placing the small square stickers emblazoned with the Adams House shield on the lower right corner of House residents' ID cards.

The Adams House Committee decided to institute the stickers last spring, after attempts to curb inter-House dining--including the gong--failed to alleviate crowded conditions.

"Students complain about it all the time," said David B. Fithian, senior tutor of Adams House. "Particularly on Wednesdays and some other days it's just jam-packed."

Fithian stressed that the stickers are designed only to help enforce a pre-existing policy, not to add further restrictions.

Adams House currently prohibits inter-House dining after 5:30 p.m. and at busy times during lunch and Sunday brunch.

But according to House resident Stacey L. Dworkin '01, checkers had in the past been lenient when enforcing the restriction.

One problem was that House checkers did not know students' residences until after they swiped their cards, unless the checkers explicitly asked.

"It seems more polite than to just keep asking," said Penelope A. Carter '00 of Adams House.

According to Fithian, the stickers will help checkers instantly identify Adams residents, an especially helpful move for identifying the new sophomores that have moved into the House.

"Students decided they wanted a way to assist the dining hall staff in identifying Adams House students before they swiped their card," he said. "[The House Committee] didn't want them to be in a position of charging a meal to a student and then saying 'I'm sorry, you can't eat here.'"

Adams House residents say because their dining hall is so conveniently located, they have had to put up with long lines and crowded seating areas--two factors which some say detract from a cohesive House community.

"I really did see a lack of House community in the dining hall because you never knew who [lived] in Adams House," said Clara B. Brillembourg '01. "[Now,] you'll finally get to know who's living in the same House as you, as before you just got to know them by passing in the hall."

She said the inconvenience to upperclass students who live farther away is outweighed by the potential benefits to the House.

"I think it's unfair that they will always be turned away, but I also think it's unfair that I couldn't sit down in my House to eat because I couldn't get a chair," Brillembourg said.

Still, others said they disagreed with the spirit of the decision.

"It's kind of an embarrassment because our friends can't eat here because they feel that they'll be harassed by the checker," said Scott M. Rowen '02 of Adams House.

But despite the strict enforcement, Dunster House resident Brent D. Zettel '01 said he was able to slip past the checker desk and enjoy a Sunday brunch.

He was challenged by a checker for not having an Adams sticker, but he admits paying little heed.

"I just walked in anyway," he said.

For his part, Dean of the College Harry R. Lewis '68--who oversees the House system--cautioned not to overanalyze the new policy. He said it was simply better than having checkers send away students after swiping their cards.

"[It] seems more graceful to me than the electronic alternative," he wrote in an e-mail message yesterday.