Thayer Hall Submits To Student Porters

Student porters will replace maids in Thayer Hall this fall for the first time in College history. The experiment, if successful, will gradually be extended to the rest of the Yard.

Among the upperclass Houses, only Dunster will have porters, 39 plus two captains James and Richards Halls in the Graduate School will also use porters, both upperclassmen and graduate students. In the picture above, for example, porters including football captain Carroll Lowenstein (left) get instruction.

The program is the fruit of a year's planning to open more jobs for students. A similiar idea has been in action at MIT since last winter.

Twelve Thayer Porters

There will be 12 porters, all freshmen, working in Thayer, with one captain at their head. The captain, also a freshman, will make regular inspection of work.

Trottenberg puts great faith in the idea. Although bed-making is not now included in the plan, Trottenberg said that "service will be almost exactly the same as the students have been used to. Furthermore, the plan will enable many men to come to Harvard who would not otherwise have the opportunity."

High Overhead

The University, Trottenberg went on, is not saving money on the system. Overhead expenses will be greater than they were with maid service. Extra funds are needed to pay the captains, whose function was formerly the janitor's, for the gray dusting coats the porters will wear, and for the extra bookkeeping involved.

The porters attended a meeting Wednesday morning where they learned their duties.