WATCHFUL WAITING

The announcement of Delmar Leighton with regard to the Freshmen of next year carries the same recognition of the perplexities of the situation as did the recent one of Dean Hanford. In the first place the University authorities have failed to offer any solution for them. The Freshman's lost isolation has in no way been retrieved nor has the question of how to make the Yard dormitories house a cross-section similar to those on the river been solved.

The reason for this failure appears to lie in the fact that as things now stand no solution is possible. As long as the Freshmen are in the Yard they will be in close contact with the rest of the college; for it is clearly impossible to retain that "splendid isolation" and live in the center of the college at the same time. The expense of revamping the present Yard dormitories renders the housing of a cross-section equally insoluble. The only procedure, if the advantages of the present Freshman dormitories are to be retained, would seem to be to find some place outside the Yard. But with the river-way monopolized by the House Plan, this presents a still more perplexing problem.

The admission of the difficulties and of failure to finding any present solution is made clearer in the provision for "Associates to the Freshmen". These men are "to advise and consult with administrative officers on matters relating to the Freshmen, especially on questions of instruction." In spite of the last phrase of this statement a prime purpose of this innovation is apparently to watch the Freshmen in the Yard and obtain data which may be used in remedying the troubles which are expected to arise.

But with due sympathy for the class of 1935 that is to be the subject of this experiment no one can complain of the move unless he is ready with a present solution. In such a situation this method of watching carefully and waiting would seem to be the best and only solution, and as such cannot be condemned.