North House residents give a lot of thought to the image of their house.
"If North House were a guy, he would be friendly, fun and totally buff," says Jennifer M. Dewey '94, North House committee treasurer, "while Cabot would be quiet and lame."
John K. Chung '92-'93 echoes a similar sentiment from a male perspective.
"If Currier House were a woman, she would be big and ugly. And the river houses would be over the hill," says Chung. "But North House would be ideal. She looks good, she's very classy, she has good physical attributes."
It's hard to nail down a stereotype for North House, the smallest and one of the most sought-after houses in recent years. Some call it the beautiful house. Other just say it's the only Quad house where the residents have not been randomized. And many of them say they like to play foozball.
North House is also noted for its diversity. Seventeen percent of the House's residents are Black--four percent more than any other house, according to the Committee on House Life.
That diversity is North House's best attribute, according to many "NoHosers."
"We used to be known as the 'Kirkland of the Quad,' with our many athletes, but now the house is more diverse," Chung says. "We have "Harvard as an elite institution can foster a false sense of what the real world is like. But North House is more demographically consistent with the outside world," House Tutor Thomas G. Stewart says. Acting House Master Dr. David S. Rosenthal '59--known better beyond North House as the director of the University Health Services--says his house's diversity actually makes the atmosphere more relaxed and friendly than other houses. "The students are really relaxed--except during exams," Rosenthal says. "I came to North right after exams, and everyone was very laid-back. The students really feel like it's a home." The Rosenthals took over as North's acting co-masters in January for Co-Masters J. Woodland Hastings and Hanna M. Hastings, who are on sabbatical in Europe. North House students say that living in a house that people chose to be in--rather than one that people were randomized into--has a positive effect on house spirit. "The people are what make North House special, because they wanted to be here," says House Committee Chair Deirdre A. McEvoy. "My lottery number was in the single digits, and here I am in North House," NoHoser Michael D. Last '95 says. "North House residents don't have a chip on their shoulder about being randomized." McEvoy points to the plethora of campus leaders who live in North as evidence of how heavily residents are involved in Harvard activities. Generating Their Own Heat North House recently received a $300 check from the Environmental Action Committee for winning the Green Cup for conservation, according to Dewey. Chung hints at non-environmental motives behind North's success, however. "We're good at energy conservation because we're into the body heat thing," Chung says. "We have a lot of romances within the house. It's part of our inclusiveness," she says. The social scene in North is helped by the physical layout of the house, residents say. The three main buildings--Holmes. Moors and Comstock--are connected by a breezeway so students don't have to go outside to visit friends. Both Last and McEvoy say that North's hallway layout--as opposed to the entry-way layout--is highly conductive to meeting people. "I've wasted a lot of time in the hallway when I should have been studying, but I've learned a lot from other people," Last says. Foozball, Anyone? Besides hanging out in the hall-ways, NoHosers also spend a lot of time at their grille and, of course, at the foozball table. "Foozball, quite simply, epitomizes life," says foozball addict Marlin B. Smith '94. Other house facilities include a weight room, the Quad Sound Studios, two computer rooms, a pool room, several communal kitchens and many practice rooms. The house-wide facilities are complemented by pleasant