RUS Insists On 2-1 Ratio In Houses

The Radcliffe Union of Students (RUS) submitted yesterday a co-residency plan to the Committee on Houses and Undergraduate Life (CHUL) which would keep Mather, Leverett, Kirkland, and Eliot Houses all-male next year.

Under the RUS plan, 353 more women would move to the five currently coed Houses-Adams, Dunster, Lowell, Quincy. and Winthrop-to establish a roughly two-to-one male-female ratio.

To maintain the roughly two-to-three male-female ratio in Currier, North, and South Houses, 272 more men would move to Radcliffe.

The RUS plan differs from the original CHUL plan in logistics, but not in the number of people moving between Harvard and Radcliffe. The RUS wants to concentrate the 545 women who would be living at Harvard in five Houses "to improve the quality of living." while the CHUL had wanted to distribute them throughout all the Houses to implement full co-residency.

No Coercion

Like the CHUL, the RUS is against forcing people to move, and stated that a favorable class balance in every House should be a secondary priority.

"It's too bad for the Houses which will not be coed," said Janet M. Edwards '72, president of the RUS, "but given the four-to-one ratio in the University, our plan is the fairest and the most feasible."

Equality Eventually

The RUS asks. as a future goal, that Harvard and Radcliffe commit themselves to achieving a one-to-one ratio in admissions.

The CHUL's subcommittee on coresidency is presently conducting a survey on co-residency in all the Harvard-Radcliffe Houses. The CHUL's survey is similar to one taken at Radcliffe last week by the RUS.

Dean May, chairman of the subcommittee on co-residency, said he hopes to have the results tabulated by Monday.

"The CHUL survey is an effort to measure relative pain levels," said May. "It should suggest what alternatives to look at."

Hassled Administrators

May said that from an administrative standpoint, class balance is especially important. "For instance, in two years. the Senior Tutor and Master at Mather House would have to fill out over 200student recommendations if the sophomore imbalance remains," he added.

The RUS plan would permit only a small number of men to move into the five co-residential Harvard Houses. Fifty-two more men would move into Adams, 40 into Dunster, 67 into Lowell, 85 into Quincy, and 53 into Winthrop.

A final RUS recommendation is that women should have equal opportunities with men in choosing rooms within their Houses.

Out of the five coed Harvard Houses, four guaranteed yesterday that if they received the names of newcomers early enough, women would be treated equally with men and get the same grade priority. Adams House said it has not yet determined its policy.