Yale's assignment-system changeover, in the early sixties, constituted only a portion of the Yale Faculty's decision to end the separate freshman year because it "in fact thwarted the students' intellectual and emotional growth," Wilkinson said. Now freshmen are integrated into the colleges, where they eat all breakfasts and weekend meals, as well as several weekday lunches and dinners. In addition, the freshmen receive all of their academic counseling from the staff of their college.
"The freshmen identify with it [their college] almost immediately," Wilkinson observed.
In order to combat stereotyped trends under the new system, Yale has added special attractions to the less popular colleges. When Yale's version of the Co-op moved to one end of the campus, Timothy Dwight and Silliman Colleges at the other end of the campus were opened up to freshmen.
The experiment of placing freshmen in colleges immediately has been so successful that Yale is contemplating placing all new students in colleges while placing seniors in the Old Campus or off-campus.
SUCH A step is not the answer to Harvard's problems, but the Yale system has managed to do away with many of the drawbacks which cripple Harvard's assignment plan. At Yale freshmen do not have a year to dig up every stereotype but instead spend their first year becoming involved in their college. By assigning Houses in the summer Harvard could virtually eliminate most stereotypes.
The Yale system could conceivably be adopted this summer in time for the arrival of the Class of 1977, but institution of the Yale system should be delayed until Harvard decides on the future of its concept of a separate freshman year and on the merger with Harvard and Radcliffe. When the College evaluates the Yale system it would have to consider whether counseling duties should be shifted from the freshman dean's office to the Houses. Yale's integration of freshmen into colleges has overloaded the college staffs and at Harvard, where there is only one more House but a much larger student body, freshmen could swamp the House staffs. Either the freshmen dean's office will be maintained or Harvard must build additional Houses or increase considerably House staffs to deal with the influx of freshmen.
However, if the freshman's dean office is maintained--which seems likely--portions of the Yale system might be instituted. Freshman could eat weekend meals at their assigned House, and they could participate in House intramural athletics.
Although the Yale system might increase the number of people who want to live at Radcliffe it would not end completely undergraduate reluctance to room "up at Radcliffe." This reluctance is based on the geographical location of the Quad as well as the difference between the quality of housing here and in the Harvard area.
The problem can be solved only by making Radcliffe more attractive. A free shuttle bus would eliminate much of the geographical problem; students could journey to and from the 'Cliffe quickly and, at night, safely. Increasing the number of classes and other activities at the 'Cliffe would not only reduce the countless trips to Harvard but also increase the interchange between the River and Quad dorms.
The most crucial development for Radcliffe, however, is additional construction. Although CHUL's March vote eliminated some over-crowding at Radcliffe, it does not provide Radcliffe dwellers the alternative of suite living. A breakdown of where next year's sophomore residents of the 'Cliffe lived this year demonstrates the positive effect of better housing. Fifty-nine freshmen from the Yard applied this Spring to live in Currier House, while a combined total of only 31 men from the Yard applied to North and South Houses. Dean Austin concludes from this survey that if North and South Houses were renovated, "The chances are that with time the [architectural] differentiations would go away."
Harvard's housing problems are as complicated as they are plentiful. Harvard could attack the many crises which it faces in a piecemeal fashion, taking each separately without bothering to study the effects of any solution on other areas. Harvard needs to re-examine the entire housing system and answer the many questions which have been shoved under the proverbial rug: how large should the College be, is the separate freshman year an outdated concept, can Radcliffe become an attractive alternative to Harvard without creating two House systems?
Harvard's housing system is sick but two aspirin, plenty of fluids and three days rest won't do the trick. The housing system needs a good surgeon, not a kindly family doctor.