Masters Oppose Easing Movement Restrictions

The Masters voiced skepticism and rank opposition yesterday to the advisibility of easing restrictions on moving out of the Houses, a problem now being weighed by a sub-committee of the Administrative Board. The liberalizing of this rule has been suggested as an answer to the forced commuter problem and the overcrowding in the Houses.

"This is dodging the issue," Elliott Perkins '23, Master of Lowell House, asserted forcefully. "Harvard College either runs as a college with Houses or it doesn't," he said, voicing his opposition to allowing upperclass students to move out to other lodgings.

Perkins felt that the answer to overcrowding would be better overcome if the College "cut back" so that "you can fit" students in the Houses. The University," he maintained, "should gear admissions to the equipment it's got to handle."

He went on to add, however, that if moving out of the Houses were to be considered, main problems would be to determine what would be "a good cause" for moving, and where the student would live. These, however, he felt were "ducking and dodging" the fact that "Harvard has got to face this some time: at some point they just cannot accept any more people; we're badly overloaded for the equipment now in the Houses."

Room in Houses Needed

This view was seconded by Gordon M. Fair, Master of Dunster, who also looked dimly on letting people move out of the Houses. "I'm all for keeping people in the Houses," he asserted, adding that the answer to overcrowding was that "we simply have to get room, and not let people move out."

A somewhat more approving view toward permitting people to move was expressed by Charles H. Taylor, Master of Kirkland House. Taylor felt that if criteria for moving were established "where there was real necessity as against whim, this might have certain possibilities."

Taylor felt that students who are "financially hard pressed" might have "an easier and happier time" living out, but that their need would have to be definitely determined before they were permitted to leave. As to the effectiveness of this in relieving overcrowding, Taylor said that there are "not very many" who would want to move.

The possibility of this plan was also admitted by the Master of Winthrop House, David E. Owen. Although he "would regret opening the door to a mass moving out of the Houses," Owen felt that some sort of liberalization, depending "on the degree of overcrowding," might be feasible.