With Fanfare, Houses Welcome Freshmen

Lowell House resident Alexander L. Edelman ’07 sat perched on the dining hall window ledge, light blue bedsheet draped over his shoulders.

“I’m sort of going for the superhero-type theme with the cape,” he said, peering through his blue mask.

“That’s nice—Lone Ranger-style,” said Patrick G. Mauro ’07, blue paint slathered over his body.

At 9:15 a.m. yesterday, Edelman and Mauro were among a handful of Lowell residents who made the early morning wake-up call to welcome new freshmen.

“I didn’t go to sleep last night,” said Lowell House Committee (HoCo) co-chair Kaartiga Sivanesan ’06.

Like Lowell, most HoCos have devoted a good chunk of the spring semester to organizing events to welcome new freshmen.

By yesterday morning, when freshmen received their housing assignments, the HoCos were prepared to turn out in full force at Annenberg, armed with t-shirts, posters, and slogans emphasizing their respective Houses’ superiority.

GETTING READY

The first HoCo meeting of the semester was spent planning Welcome Day, according to Winthrop House freshman coordinator Sarah M. Kinsella ’07.

The preparation even included a trek to Chinatown for a lion costume, Winthrop resident Christine E. Cherella ’07 said Thursday night, referring to the House mascot.

For Lowell, planning for “warpaint” alone took as much as three hours the night before, according to Sarah C. Duncan ’07.

“I’m painting all exposed parts of my body,” Duncan, who is also a Crimson editor, said Thursday night. “I’m sacrificing my skin for the freshmen.”

Sivanesan estimated that Lowell HoCo shelled out around $2,000 on t-shirts, decorations, art supplies, and food.

STORMING THE YARD

Just before 10 a.m. yesterday, HoCo members readied a group of seven Lowell residents to storm the Yard, distributing hand-painted posters, smearing an “L” on bare cheeks, and outfitting enthusiastic participants with White-Castle themed t-shirts that read “Lowell House—It’s What You Crave.”

“I want this to look like as much a riot as possible,” Mauro said, as the group headed over to the Yard, eventually breaking into a run as they passed Boylston Hall.

In front of Thayer Hall, Event Co-Chair Julia M. Chandler ’07 distributed the list of incoming freshmen.

Amid shouts of “Matharr, Matharr” filtering from a contingent of 50 Mather residents gathered at the John Harvard statue, Jonathan M. Hyman ’08 approached the group.

“I’m in Lowell, I’m a freshman, and I have a quiz in three minutes,” he said quickly.

Giving him a hug, Chandler congratulated him, quickly applying a blue “L” to his cheek.

“He’s our first freshman of the day,” she said excitedly.

MEET AND GREET

Inside the Annenberg, upperclass students greeted freshmen, brandishing an array of posters and distributing House t-shirts.

A Currier House sign read “Our condom boxes are empty. Are yours?” celebrating its singles. On its table, Winthrop House set up an ice luge, propped up against several green trays, and residents urged freshmen and upperclassmen alike to partake in the cranberry juice.

Dunster House Masters Roger and Ann Porter made the rounds, greeting any freshmen sporting their House t-shirts, with Lowell House Master Diana L. Eck doing the same.

Outside, Mather residents, decked out in red bandannas and black shirts with a skull and bones running across the front, chanted loudly as freshmen approached Memorial Hall.

The Lowell contingent sought out a strategic spot next to the Science Center.

“The visual effect will block Winthrop and then Mather,” Lowell Event Co-Chair Jonathan V. Brewer ’07 said. “We’re down in numbers because a lot of HoCo people are taking midterms.”

Later in the afternoon, Brewer came up with an alternative suggestion for calling attention to his House in the midst of the waving flags, in-your-face mascots, and throngs of excited freshmen outside the dining hall.

“We just need to get a bunch of blue paint and pour it on Mather,” he said.

—Staff writer Margaret W. Ho can be reached at mwho@fas.harvard.edu.