Word: jewett
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Dates: during 1990-1999
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However, this year's class may be the last to have any input into the housing lottery. Dean of the College L. Fred Jewett '57 has indicated that he may decide to randomize the process, ending the current system of non-ordered choice and eliminating student choice from the housing lottery...
Seven years ago, when administrators originally contemplated randomizing the housing lottery, they were concerned about disproportionate numbers of athletes and prep school graduates living in some houses. In deference to students' ardent support for choice, Jewett adopted non-ordered choice as a compromise that would help diversify the houses...
...those lines. While the houses are hardly homogeneous, homogeneity is not the desired end. While each house should reflect the diversity of the Harvard community, each House should be a community of its own where students feel at home. Two years ago, the College reevaluated the lottery process and Jewett reaffirmed non-ordered choice as a workable compromise. However, at the behest of many house masters--who were never satisfied with the current system--the issue of randomization has risen once again...
...Jewett and the house masters will randomize the housing lottery unless students make their voices felt. When administrators first contemplated greater randomization seven years ago, more than 1200 first-years petitioned against it. So far this year, there has been some student protest--most recently in the form of an e-mail petition authored by Benjamin J. Torrance '95 who says he has submitted signatures of 190 students--but the activism of past years has not been there. Students who favor choice should make their voices heard, through petitions, e-mail and conversations with Dean Jewett and their house masters...
Last Wednesday, Torrance delivered a first round of that petition, with over 100 signatures, to Dean Jewett, as well as to Dean-designate Harry R. Lewis '68 and all of the house masters. He plans to continue adding names, however, so I encourage anyone not supporting randomization to contact him (bhtorran@fas) and ask to sign his petition. The argument about randomization is no longer theoretical--randomization may very well become reality within the next few weeks, and we should be sure that the students' opinion is heard before that time...