INTER-HOUSE TRANSFERS

One of the Houses has recently made a regulation which can result only in needless irritation. It stipulates that no undergraduate shall be admitted to the House who has previously been a member of another. Even in the cases of unusual circumstances, no exceptions can be made since it would be breaking the "traditions" of the House.

If the Houses are to be anything more than dormitories, they must unquestionably be kept unified bodies. In the natural course of events, men would not wish to change. But in certain situations a transfer is most desirable for individuals and for this reason there should be no hard and fast rule.

A student's residence in one House in scarcely likely to contaminate his to such an extent as to make him ineligible for another. It has little or nothing to do with whether or not he would make a desirable member of the House. To rule out a student who has much to recommend him because of such an irrelevant factor would be absurd. Even if the regulation had a logical excuse it should be one adjustable to particular situations, instead of stringently enforced with no regard for circumstances. There is no reason why the Houses should antagonize even a small number of undergraduates by adopting unnecessary regulations of this kind.