Residents of Quincy House Seek Role in Master Selection

A representative of Quincy House residents delivered letters from the House's Junior and Senior Common Rooms to President Bok yesterday requesting changes in the procedure of choosing a master.

Elliot Forbes, Peabody Professor of Music, delivered the letter which requested representatives from each common room be added to the standing Master Selection Committee which will choose the new Quincy House master. The committee consists of Presidents Bok and Horner, Deans Fox and Rosovsky and George C. Homans '32, acting associate dean of the Faculty for undergraduate education. New masters also require corporation approval.

Charles W. Dunn, Robinson Professor of Celtic Languages and Literatures announced this fall that he would retire as Quincy House Master next year.

"We feel this is the most appropriate form of representation that will most assuredly insure that Quincy House views are manifest," Paul C. Clements '82-2, House Committee member, said yesterday.

President Bok said yesterday that he had received the letter but declined further comment on the issue.

Clements said he believes that the administration does not want to elect a master that the students and other House associates will not like. He added that he hoped the administration will now "recognize the necessity of taking into account Quincy House views."

Meetings

Dean Fox attended a Senior Common Room discussion of the selection process yesterday. Fox also met on Monday with a Quincy House sub-committee formed to help choose a new master.

Clements said the meeting was called to clarify the current situation and to discuss possible candidates for the position. Clements would not release the names of possible candidates but said "it is becoming clearer and clearer that the administration will take our views into consideration. The only question now is what form they will take and how much weight they will have," he added.

Fellow

Forbes said he delivered the letter because he is the oldest fellow in Quincy House and because Dunn had asked him to preside over the Senior Common Room meeting because he did not want to be involved in the selection of the new master.