THE EIGHTH HOUSE

In celebrating the opening of the college year with a smoker and speeches yesterday afternoon, Dudley Hall began its third year as gathering place and social center for those who do not make their residence in the College. At the end of the current year no undergraduates will be left who remember the dark days before Dudley Hall flung wide its doors to receive men who do not live in the Harvard Yard and the Houses. Thus an idea and a hope a few years back has been metamorphosed into a reality, and a group that was long neglected has now a place where it can take proper position in the undergraduate community.

The growth of Dudley Hall has been far from spectacular, and in many ways it has been harder for the commuters' center to reach maturity than the Houses. Difficulties have faced its members in coming out for teams and participating in other undergraduate activities. Many of these men are engaged in scientific studies in the labobratories, which takes all day long. And since they cannot remain in College during the evening, many activities have been thereby shut off from them. Furthermore, most of these men have never lived away from home, and the effort that it takes for people to adjust themselves to a community life such as prevails in the Houses and such as it is the goal of Dudley to produce, has been hard for all to make.

Thus, even though Dudley Hall has much hard work ahead in many ways before it can compare to the Houses as an active social unit, nevertheless great strides have been made in the last three years. It is to be hoped that the Hall continues during the coming months to fulfill the dreams of the men who were instrumental in founding it.