Room Prices

(Ed. Note--The Crimson does not necessarily endorse opinions expressed in printed communications. No attention will be paid to anonymous letters and only under special conditions, at the request of the writer, will names be withheld.)

To the Editor of the CRIMSON:

In a "Warning to Freshmen" in the editorial columns of the CRIMSON for February 26th, referring to applications for Houses, you make the following statement: "Last year the prices Freshmen wrote down as their maximums were almost exceeded. . ."

That is not true. Each students's application was considered on the basis of the prices which he offered. If rooms could not be provided at or below the maximum price offered, the student's application was rejected. In a few cases--not more than a half dozen--large groups were notified that their application was endangered because of the impossibility of fitting in one or two individuals at or below the maximum offered, In no case, however, was the assignment made unless those individuals expressed a willingness to raise their maxima.

If a read the editorial aright, you advise Freshmen to offer less than they are capable of paying for rooms in the Houses. This seems to me had advice from the standpoint not only of the individual Freshman but of the College as a whole. Since the demand for cheap rooms is greater than the supply, a student who offers less than he can afford increases the chances that he can not be provided for in a House. Insofar as students who can afford to pay higher prices succeed in securing rooms in the lower middle price range, they reduce for their less well-to-do classmates the chances of securing admission to a House. The rooms priced at $180 and below were awarded on the same basis as scholarships: l.e., with careful regard to the financial needs of the applicants. Delmar Leighton.