Freshman Guide To the Houses

Dunster House probably comes nearest to the sort of social unit Edward B. Harkness envisioned when he first gave $3,000,000 in 1928 to start the House system. It has a sense of unity and "life" which only Kirkland of the other six House approaches.

Non-Dunster men attribute the friendly cohesiveness of the Funsters to their isolation. Funsters, themselves, admit there is something to this. Geographically, however, Dunster is no father from Sever than Eliot. It is removed, however, from the bulk of the Mount Auburn Street pinball havens, and hence, Dunster men strive to make their community the self sufficient entity a House is supposed to be.

This self sufficiency shows up in food, prepared in Dunster's own kitchen and therefore somewhat more individual than the fare from the central kitchen. It comes out in Dunster's own singing troupe, the Dunces, abundant band and record dances, a spring costume dance, concentration dinners, Sunday musicales, periodic forums, and weekly coffee sessions with Master Gordon m. Fair. And the House even has its own tie, though few members wear it often.

Active Staff

A resident staff, to be enriched next year by writer Thornton Wilder and several assistant professors, mixes enthusiastically with Dunster's 345 residents ad maiorem gloriam dinner table education. The House leads all others in the number of staff tutors with 11--enough for one in every entry.

Dunsters two common rooms were so well used that both had to undergo redecoration this year; one was temporarily desecrated this week by the arrival of a television set.

Politicians used to gravitate to the "outpost," but the trend is lass marked of late. Only the Young Republicans still coagulate in the House that is farthest left on the Charles River line.

The 114 men who will be able to get into Dunster this Spring will find that doubles and triples predominate the available rooms. Few rooms are especially big, and several have only the shanties along McCarthy Road as a view. Most, however, front the river-courtyard.

A well stocked library--where books near the ceiling are obtained by climbing high ladders, a fully equipped dark room, and two music rooms are also available.

For those who care to indulge journalistic drives, Dunster also has a "chatty" monthly.