A Safer River Run is a Better River Run

With spring break less than a week away, many Harvard students are busy thinking about everything they might do once they leave their dorms. For the Class of 2027, however, something much more important comes just days before classes let out for the spring recess: Housing Day.

Housing Day is an annual Harvard tradition that sees upperclassmen storm freshman dorms in Harvard Yard, revealing to eagerly awaiting freshmen which of the twelve upperclassman Houses will become their home for the next three years.

These Houses, where sophomores, juniors, and seniors all live and eat together, become irreplaceable centers of community for their inhabitants. Nearly every student has a mental list of their most desired Houses. But regardless of their most preferred home, the greatest Housing Day anxiety held by many students does not concern which specific house they will be assigned —it’s where they hope to avoid being placed.

Since the inception of randomized housing, many students fear being placed into Currier, Cabot, or Pforzheimer Houses, all residences on the distant Radcliffe Quadrangle.

Naturally, superstitions have developed to avoid placement in the undesirable Quad. The superstitions come to a head the night before Housing Day in the form of “River Run,” an activity that sees freshmen visit their preferred houses along the Charles River to “appease the river gods,” with many freshmen electing to pour libations in the form of alcoholic shots in their desired new homes.

Everyone — student, dean, tutor, and administrator alike — knows that anxious freshmen and alcohol can be a recipe for disaster. In the past, Harvard has tried to prevent students from participating in River Run by locking gate access to non-residents, posting extra Securitas Guards, and even calling for more police patrols on Housing Day eve. All the while, this only emboldened students, who see the increased security as part of the fun itself. Evading guards and finding creative ways to enter houses was a central part of the night.

But for years, these increased security measures made River Run more dangerous for everyone involved.

Now, the University has backtracked, announcing that swipe access to the houses will not be revoked the night before Housing Day. While it might make the experience somewhat less adventurous, it is the right call.

Personal experience has shown that students will climb high fences and gates to enter houses without swipe access, among other tactics. During my river run, I climbed a tall brick wall into the back of Quincy House. I was completely sober, and I’ll admit, even that was dangerous.

So how much more dangerous is it when a student, after their fourth or fifth shot, tries to climb the spear-tipped fence into Eliot House or scale the concrete library steps of Mather?

I have no doubt that students would have continued to participate in River Run no matter how many preventative measures Harvard takes. For the safety of its students, Harvard made the right choice dropping the facade of securing the houses.

Short of banning freshmen from leaving their dorm on Wednesday night, it will be almost impossible to prevent students from participating in River Run in some capacity. For this sacred night, Harvard is right to prioritize student safety, and recognize River Run as the integral part of Housing Week that it is, even if the results are imperfect.

During River Run, safety and tradition should be foremost — not “security.” The University is best served by opening the gates, dropping the guards, and otherwise staying out of student affairs.

Freshmen, I promise you, scaling that fence is not worth it. Swipe access and fewer security guards won’t negate the adventurous experience that you create for yourselves during River Run; the tunnels between the houses will still be wide open for you to explore. Happy running!

Mac M. Mertens ’26, a Crimson Editorial editor, is a double concentrator in Classics and History in Mather House.