First Years Anticipate Housing Decisions

The judgement of the Fates will be revealed to 1600-plus first years this morning, as housing assignments are delivered to their doors.

Students interviewed insisted they were calm despite the threat of randomization, a lot which befell 12 percent of first years.

"I don't feel any tension," said Amalie M. Weber '96. "If I get Quadded it's fine, unless it's Currier. There are problems everywhere you live."

"It's who you live with, not where you live," Weber said.

First-year proctors said their charges have been more relaxed than in previous springs. Since housing assignments were postponed until after spring break this year, "the period is so long that it loses immediacy," said Lionel proctor Thomas P. Lockerby '87.

Pennypacker proctor Edwin G. Abel III said he noticed less tension than in past lotteries, adding that he senses anticipation but not apprehension.

For some first-years, however, the housing forms do cause more concern.

Despite heavy lobbying in the Undergraduate Council, Garden St. residents were not granted advantages in the lottery, which many claimed would be just recompense for their poor housing this year.

Lisa M. Acosta '96, a resident of 29 Garden St., said that she has "basically been Quadded this year. I don't want it to happen again."

Although Taha Abdul-Basser '96, a Hurlbut resident, said he wasn't too worried, he said one of his blockmates was "very tense" and "would be awake at 7 a.m." to receive the assignment at his door.

Ironically, for all of the months of agony involved with the process, the computer system that processed the data was very quick.

"It all took under three minutes," said Patrick S. Chung '96, who helped develop the computer program. "It was laser-quick."

Corwyn Y. Miyagishima '96, who selected North, Dunster, Eliot and Kirkland Houses, said he hopes he doesn't get randomized but "wouldn't be miserable" if it happened.

"I'm not thinking about it," said Miyagishima. "I'm going to get what I'm going to get."

Brian D. Gale '96 agreed, saying he was "not too worried" about being randomized.

"I have a lot of friends in the Quad," he said.

If the rush of first years to upper-class dining halls isn't a sure enough sign of the housing lottery's completion, Thomas E. McConnon '96 will remind passersby by hanging t-shirts from his room to announce his new house.

"Black is for the Quad, grey is for Leverett, and white is for river houses," he said

"I'm not thinking about it," said Miyagishima. "I'm going to get what I'm going to get."

Brian D. Gale '96 agreed, saying he was "not too worried" about being randomized.

"I have a lot of friends in the Quad," he said.

If the rush of first years to upper-class dining halls isn't a sure enough sign of the housing lottery's completion, Thomas E. McConnon '96 will remind passersby by hanging t-shirts from his room to announce his new house.

"Black is for the Quad, grey is for Leverett, and white is for river houses," he said