Students Leaving Houses To Live Outside Acts As Check on Management of the House Plan

"In general I should say that the small groups of men who leave the Houses to live in various other quarters around the Square will have a good influence on the House Plan," said a former overseer of Harvard in an interview with the CRIMSON yesterday. "It will act as a check on the management of the various Houses and will keep the prices down and the service good.

"Obviously the rooms in the different Houses, the dining rooms, and the libraries are far superior to those in any private boarding establishments. They were built expressly for the purposes which they are serving and have desirable locations. As in any hotel which is run on sound economic principles, the management must satisfy the students, who are in reality paying guests. If the prices are high, the food bad, or the maid service poor there are sure to be objections. The fact that men are leaving will force the college authorities to adjust their prices and general management to suit their demands.

"The economic factor is a large one in this situation. The construction of the houses drove many other apartment buildings out of business. They were obliged to lower their prices in an effort to get back a portion of their former business. Students can save a great deal of money by living outside.

"Although this movement is good for the House Plan, from the point of view of the students, there is much to be said against it. In the Houses, libraries are accessible which make studying much easier; outside men are liable to spend too much time enjoying themselves; their rooms are likely to be crowded, messy, and noisy. In general too much opportunity is given for idling.

"On the other hand there is a percentage of students who always have to be going against things which are required of them: they can't live happily under definite rules. The fact that this type are allowed to withdraw from the Houses removes a lot of comment which would arise otherwise against any steadfast regulation requiring all men to live in Houses."