THE SOCIAL CONTACT

A traditional advantage of the large college is that it attracts more able, more learned men to its faculty, than does a smaller institution. The rebuttal to this belief, so frequently heard, lies in the argument that in a university of some size personal contact with instructors is impossible. This is, to a large extent, true. The intimacy between the teachers and the taught that is bred in a small college is one of its most priceless advantages, while it is well nigh impossible to establish any friendly acquaintanceship at an institution such as Harvard save by some artificial stimulus.

The University Teas give an opportunity to all students to meet their various professors in a social way. They were established so that faculty members could talk with undergraduates in an atmosphere somewhat less stilted and formal than the class room. While one can hardly expect lasting friendships to grow from these functions, they offer one of the few chances an undergraduate at Harvard has to enjoy one of the perquisites of a college education.