Faculty Committee Agrees To Change In Parietals; Will Accept Co-Ed Living

The Committee on Houses agreed yesterday not to object to plans for co-ed living exchanges between Harvard and Radcliffe Houses this Spring.

Although the committee held no formal vote, Dean Ford, its chairman, said that the members agreed not to oppose any Faculty proposals to initiate coeducational student exchanges.

Ford said he hopes the Faculty will hold a special meeting this Fall to consider co-ed living and all the other issues raised by Harvard-Radcliffe merger. At that meeting, the special study groups that were set up last Spring to study merger problems would make preliminary reports.

One of those committees-chaired by Jerome Kagan, professor of Developmental Psychology-has already endorsed a plan for experimental co-ed living.

Out of the Way

"If the Kagan study group recommends it, the Committee on Houses will not stand in the way." Ford said.

Plans for exchanges of students between Adams and South Houses, and Winthrop and North Houses, have already been proposed. Yesterday, students in Lowell and East Houses expressed an interest in a co-ed exchange.

One of four committees formed last Spring to investigate the feasiblility and desirability of coeducational housing, the Kagan committee has not yet released its formal report. It will present its findings to President Pusey sometime before Christmas recess.

William Liller, Master of Adams House, suggested in a report earlier this month the exchange this Spring of up to 50 students between Adams and South Houses, depending on the number of Adams students willing to move. Adams would be intergrated by suites, while South would be divided intoseparate floors. Winthrop and North Houses would follow a similar scheme.

Last Spring. Pusey expressed objections to establishing co-ed dormitories before a Harvard-Radcliffe merger. Earlier this month, however, Pusey said that if certain legal changes were made, an exchange of students between Harvard and Radcliffe Houses could proceed before the official merger.

Legal jurisdiction over students in the Houses is the major legal stumbling block. The Faculty of Ar's and Sciences now has no legal authority over Radcliffe students outside the classroom.

Houses to Set Hours

The Faculty's Committee on Houses yesterday endorsed a proposal which will let the Freshman Council and cach Harvard House set its own parietals.

The proposal will appear on the docket for the Nov. 18 Faculty meeting. At the meeting yesterday, the Committee on Houses also passed a proposal to give freshmen the same parietal hours as upperclassmen until the Faculty decision.

Freshman parietals will now run from noon to midnight Sunday through Thursday, and until 1 a. m. on Friday and Saturday.

1041 Signatures

The Committee's decision to extend Freshman parietals and endorse the proposal to the Faculty followed a recommendation by the Freshman Council which was signed by 41 Yard proctors and 1000 freshmen.

John D. Hanify '70, president of the Harvard University Undergraduate Council-who spoke for the parietals proposal at the Committee meeting-said that this is "the first time in 21/2 years" there has been a major parietals change.

The major proposal, now before the Faculty, "will essentially mean the end of parietals," Hanify said.

If passed by the Faculty, the parietals proposal will change substantially the powers of individual House committees. Freshman Council representatives Backy Bagot '73 and Hank Baig '73 said that, consequently, their proposal will have to be presented as an amendment to the Fainsod Committee's recommendations on House government.

The Committee vote on the proposal was six in favor, four abstaining.