Divided We Stand

Two weeks ago, the Inter-House Social Committee came up with a plan for the Yale weekend a little more grandiose in scope than its original function of preventing schedule conflicts. All seven Houses were to join hands in a small, chummy circle as it were, split the gross profits from the weekend dances into seven equal piles, permit complete interchangeability of admission, and pay for each other's advertising. Only last week, Leverett decided to share her profits with no one, and in the simmering after-math resigned her privileges in the coalition. The remaining six Houses, though, stood firm.

This is not the first time the Social Committee has tried to weld the Houses into a solid, integrated phalanx. During the fall of 1948, exactly the same plan was attempted under identical conditions. In that instance, the deliberations that followed the pooling of gross receipts deteriorated into bitter haggling over an equitable distribution of the money, since it was observed that a couple of House Dance Committees has skimped on their entertainment and decorations outlay in order to squeeze the gross for as much net profit as possible--at the expense of the other Houses. Also at that time, Leverett noticed that her contribution to the general fund had been $300 more than that of any other House. The meeting disbanded with all money returned to the Houses that had earned it.

Both reasons offered by the Social Committee for merging the House dances this year are weak. First, a spirit of cooperative endeavor would be fostered among the Houses. Cooperative endeavor is a handsome thing when carefully applied, but the competitive field of Saturday dances is not the place for it. It blunts the initiative and drive of the House Dance Committees to work hard and plan well. The second reason for the merger is, simply that Dunster (and, to a lesser extent, Adams) needs subsidizing because of its smaller size and unfavorable location for visitors. However, Leverett is even smaller than Dunster, and visiting Yale men do not, on the whole, pick their House dances, like their shoe shine parlors, on the basis of central location. There should be as many men in Dunster House as in any other with friends from Yale and this is what brings in visitors.

Although there is no need to sacrifice the interchangeability program, the Social Committee should reconsider its decision to run the Yale weekend on a communal basis, and, as soon as possible, turn the House Dance Committees loose to sink or swim in the old laissez-faire tradition.