Word: socialism
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Dates: during 1990-1999
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Four years post-randomization, undergraduate life at Harvard is at a turning point. As Houses move further away from their former "personalities," students are becoming less interested in participating in House events. Social life for many students is moving off-campus, and a House-centered social system is seriously threatened. Undergraduates spend increasing amounts of time in extracurricular organizations, yet student groups are severely under-funded and must fight with Extension School classes for precious meeting and performing space. I believe that the problems of both student groups and the Houses can be alleviated through a mutually beneficial system...
Student groups have become the lifeblood of the campus; their plays, performances, fundraising dances and cultural events provide much-needed social events open to everyone. But current space allocations are not sufficient. Relegated to the basement of Lowell Lecture Hall and similar inconvenient locations, many groups get the message that they are merely marginal to the College. Office space is the best way for a group to ensure its survival; without an office, groups frequently dissolve as seniors graduate and no one is left to continue the organization. Yet only a lucky few groups have offices in the coveted Yard...
...problem facing the House system is quite different. While student groups are growing in number but lacking in resources, Houses are feeling the effects of decreased student involvement. Post-randomization, students no longer have the social ties within their Houses that existed before. The administration's decision to reduce blocking group size was an admission that something needs to be done to increase community within the Houses. But will smaller blocking groups alone increase House community...
Steps must be taken to ensure that Houses remain central to undergraduate social life. Despite popular opinion, Harvard students are not inherently asocial. Popular House events like the Leverett House Eighties Dance and the Adams House Masquerade (from which hundreds of students had to be turned away) prove that students will flock to social events if given the opportunity. More large, campus-wide House events are necessary to satisfy student desire and to bring the campus community together...
Houses would similarly benefit from affiliation. Each House would be home to many more cultural, musical, political and community-service groups which would add character to the House of their affiliation. Social life would return to the Houses as student groups held larger, campus-wide events in conjunction with the House community. House spirit would improve as each student group contributed to the sense of community and House personality by providing events and services that were non-alcoholic, non-exclusive and non-discriminatory in nature. Furthermore, the College could oversee this through a pre-existing organizational structure that allows...