THE FIRST YEAR

When the Freshmen were moved out of the Freshmen dormitories last year to make way for the House Plan it was felt by many that the unity of the first year class would be destroyed. The spendid isolation of the river bank would yield place to the influence of the Yard with its confusion of dormitories and class rooms. But, despite this change, the Freshman class has flourished and prospered in its few months at Harvard. The consciousness of kind that has been developed may be traced to the Union dining room and to the influence of the House Plan itself.

Harvard has witnessed in recent years the decline of class activities. Proms, spreads, and the other attendant social functions gradually lost their significance and became more financial obligations for the members of any class. Boston with its offers of better and cheaper entertainment rather nullified the purpose of these social gestures. But with the genesis of the House Plan there came also a revival of the social graces. There are now concerts, Christmas parties, tea dances, dinner dances, all manner of recreational opportunities for the young inmates. The Freshmen have been infused with this spirit of gaiety and have arranged several entertainments for themselves which have materially helped them to become better acquainted and better solidified. Whether or not one agrees with the social activity within the Houses, one cannot deny the beneficial effects which such things have on the first year class. In order to expedite the process of entertainment a Freshmen committee has been formed to take care of the various problems which may arise, and to devise various forms of recreation for the class. There has been no such class committee since 1927 when it was disbanded because of disinterest and a lack of any constructive measures which might be acted upon.

The Union dining room has also contributed to the success of the present system. Although extremely large, and rather noisy it offers the opportunity for the whole class to meet together and to talk after the meal in any of the countless rooms of the building. All the facilities of the old Union have been turned over to the exclusive use of the Freshmen.

In these ways the class is assuming a definite personality and a unity which was impossible in previous years when a man in Smith never saw a man who lived in Gore. For many the first year at Harvard is a bewildering experience, it is pleasant to know that the change from the Charles to the Yard has made it a more congenial, more happy period of transition.