Extreme House Makeover

My brother, a freshman, had been saying for weeks that he wanted to be in the Quad, but I could tell that he was visibly relieved when screaming Quincy-ites rushed into Hollis where his blocking group was anxiously awaiting their assignment. Not only has Quincy been my home for the past three years—our matching placements a freak coincidence—but Quincy is also slated to be the first house to undergo renewal, beginning in fall 2012. While House Renewal will undoubtedly improve the physical quality of housing at Harvard, without careful attention, renovations in Quincy (and, eventually, the rest of the Houses) may limit students’ access to House life. Planning for House Renewal must pay close attention to the effects of massive construction and relocation on the students like my brother who will endure the process.

By eliminating walk-through rooms, increasing the amount of common spaces, modernizing bathrooms and heating systems, and even bringing cable television into dorm rooms, House Renewal will undoubtedly bring much-needed improvements to dormitories built for a different era of student life. I am envious that my brother will be among the first students who have the opportunity to reap the benefits of what is sure to be a transformational and vastly beneficial process, one that, after reading the university’s Report on Harvard House Renewal[EM1] , has clearly been thought about critically and creatively. And I have no doubt that physical improvement will translate into increased ability for House Committees and House administrators to build community following renovation, providing better, more flexible space for House events and more informal gatherings.

However, the actual process of House Renewal—i.e., what happens during renovation—will pose an incredible challenge to the maintenance of House community. While many students opt out of meaningful social involvement in their houses, trading Stein Clubs and intramurals for athletic teams, their extracurricular groups, or final clubs, for some, the House community is at the center of social life.  It is where certain students spend much of their time, it has provided them with some of their closest friends, and it offers a sense of comfort, belonging, and ownership over space on campus. Discussions of how the Houses can be even more central to campus-wide student life prevent us from recognizing that the process of House Renewal itself threatens whatever community, however limited, currently exists.

As questions of where students will move during House Renewal begin to swirl—my brother and his blocking group wondered out loud about what Old Quincy’s renovation would mean for them—it is difficult to expect that House communities will not be shaken by impending relocation. When entire incoming classes are relocated into swing spaces, it is likely that geographic distance from the House will isolate even more students from House community. DeWolfe stands as an example of how geography can hinder House involvement; students opting to live there generally recognize that, despite better housing, additional effort and commitment are needed to remain involved in House life. As increasing numbers of students are dispersed into swing spaces, distance and distraction caused by renovation may limit involvement by those students who could benefit most from House life. During renovation, the administration and the House administrators should do everything in their power to ensure that swing spaces are as geographically close as possible to their residents’ Houses. HoCos operating in Houses undergoing Renewal should receive additional support and resources in order to overcome the inconveniences and difficulties imposed by large-scale renovation. And the university should announce plans for swing housing as soon as possible. This way the Houses can begin to identify ways to maintain a connection between existent House community and students living in swing spaces

I welcome House Renewal and am thrilled that my brother will be part of the first group of students to reap its benefits. However, attention needs to be focused on ensuring that, for those students who do look to their House for a sense of belonging, the physical disruptions caused by the process of House Renewal do not hinder students’ House experiences. While one year of renovation may not be significant in the history of the University or even the overall House Renewal process, a single year of banishment to a distant swing space can dramatically reshape a student’s connection to his or her House and experience of Harvard. The University must pay as much attention to what happens to students during the process of Renewal as it does to House Renewal’s eventual benefits for students who enter an already-redesigned House. I am envious that my brother will see House Renewal during his time at Harvard, but, as he transitions into our House, I am less confident that he will have access to the same resources and community that I have had. Only if students like him can access House community during Renewal, not just before and after it, will Harvard succeed in building the social, residential, and academic community that all students deserve.

Tobias S. Stein ’11 is an urban studies concentrator in Quincy House. His column appears on alternate Mondays.