Dues Unto Others

Once upon a time there was probably a rationale for House dues. In the early days of the System, dues and membership cards might have provided an incentive for participation in the young regime. A card-carrying House member might have felt more secure, more one with the group, by virtue of his monetary contribution to group activities. But the little niceties like bicycle racks, magazines and athletic uniforms, once subsidized by voluntary donations, are now established and significant frills on dormitory life.

If dues could bring the biddies back, dues would be an easy matter to obtain. Nothing, however, will bring the biddies back, and the substitutions thoughtfully provided by various House committees are not really worthy of the same loyalty, financial or otherwise. Nevertheless, these "extras" have become so much a part of the System that it seems unfair to support them with voluntary dues. More than unfair, it is gradually becoming difficult and embarassing.

As House Committee members trundle about alternately beseeching and strong-arming recalcitrant donors, it is time to reconsider the value of House dues. Since the functions which dues once financed have now become essential to the success of the System, and since the donors no longer attach any value to their contributions, the University would do well to provide its own support for the marginal, but increasingly valuable House activities. The expense would not be a staggering one, but the relief it would bring to House committees, House Masters and even House members would be more than commensurate. Dues are no longer symbols of belonging; they are only burdens, and dispensable ones at that.