House to Discuss Decorations

Residents at Winthrop House will meet tonight in an open forum to discuss the house policy on holiday decorations, but some committee members say the policy has already been determined.

At its November 27 meeting, the house committee approved reimbursing students for any holiday decorations they purchase, Secretary Kelly A. Smith '96 said.

"We will pay for decorations for any holiday, but we won't pay for parties, and we won't go out and buy them ourselves," she said.

Smith said the policy has been posted on both the house committee bulletin board in the dining room in Gore Hall, as well as at the entrance to Standish Hall.

But committee co-chair Sean N. Harte '95-'96 said discussions will continue tonight.

"There is no policy until this point," Harte said. "We want to talk to everyone and see what they want."

Harte cited the lack of attendance at committee meetings as one reason that the open meeting is necessary. "We aren't comfortable with making these kinds of decisions for the entire house," he said.

Smith said yesterday that as far as she knows, the house committee had not called another meeting.

But house master Paul D. Hanson, Lamont professor of divinity, said the meeting was called by the masters and senior tutor after the tutor in charge of diversity brought the issue to their attention.

"Sean Harte told me that the issue is open, and he is coming to the meeting," Hanson said. "No policy will be decided until everyone who has an interest in the issue has had a say in it."

Harte said Hanson will lead the discussion at the open meeting. "The house master will run the show," Harte said. "And the committee will be there."

Hanson said he supports decorating the house for various holidays, as long as the whole house has an opportunity to discuss the issue.

"I look at a situation such as the one we are facing at Winthrop House as a wonderful opportunity for learning from one another across the many community lines represented at Harvard," he said.

The meeting will be tonight at 7:15 in the Winthrop House JCR.