"[We need] parties in large open areas, like in Harvard Yard in a huge tent or in the MAC Quad," says Redmond. "That's part of the problem--that we have all of these parties marginalized in student rooms. I think we need to expand on the Springfest model."

Redmond also believes that the council's recent discussion of a new student center and increased space for student groups indicates a growing concern with campus social issues among undergraduates.

Despite the flaws they identified in Harvard's social scene, students said they were more or less happy with the social lives they had created for themselves.

"I've been very satisfied with my social life here," says John N. Belitsos '02. "I've found that I have the option to be as social as I want to be."

When all is said and done, most students were just as willing to lay the responsibility for having a good time on their own shoulders as they were to blame University policy or problems with social venues.

"Number one, students need to take a lot more initiative in creating a social life for themselves," Redmond says. "They expect the University to take care of them, but they need to step up to the plate."