Building a Better Housing Day

The Yard is quiet, the flash mobs and mascots are gone, and the apparel is safely tucked away in drawers. As always, Housing Day was raucous and rollicking, but it wasn’t perfect. So how can we do better next year?

Because Housing Day falls before spring break and squarely in the middle of the semester, it is inevitable that midterms and papers will weasel their way into what should be a time of merriment. This seemed to be particularly true this year, as many freshmen eschewed the Houses’ dinners, parties, and welcome events to hit the books and pound out the pages. That speaks to a typical predicament on this campus: the arduous task of balancing work, fun, and sleep.

Yet it also reflects a failure to create community. Beyond Harvard-Yale—and excepting the recent historic men’s basketball run—Housing Day is one of only times this college, its social life diffuse as it is, comes together in a celebration of school spirit and tradition. It is the first time that many freshmen are openly and wholeheartedly embraced by the Houses’ scene, upperclassmen throwing parties for their new Housemates. The day is also singular in that the early interactions it fosters make Houses, well, Houses, and not mere assortments of blocking groups. That students would be kept away from the revelry by a pre-spring break wave of tests and essay deadlines is lamentable. Luckily, though, it is preventable. In the future, professors and instructors should dialogue with students about alternative exam days and due dates. Additionally, the administration must communicate to faculty the importance of this occasion for campus community.

We also urge the College to clarify its policies regarding Housing Day Eve. The night before freshmen receive their housing assignments, this is—and has been for at least several years—a period of racuous festivity. Customarily, first-years participate in the River Run ritual, which involves consuming alcohol in the courtyards of several Houses and lighting paper boats on fire in the Charles River. This year, the College banned freshmen from the Houses on Housing Day Eve and alerted students that there would be an increased police presence that night. This blanket prohibition was not made clear to all upperclassmen, and it left many students scratching their heads as to what behavior was permissible.

In 2014, after discussion with the freshmen and upperclassmen communities, it would be wise for the administration to adopt better publicized and less ad hoc Housing Day Eve regulations. Through exam policy as well as clear communication, it is important that we communicate openly about how the crucial Housing Day tradition should be observed.