Pusey Appoints Committee On House Assigning Policy

President Pusey has named a nine-man Standing Committee of the Faculty on House Assignment, which will assume total control of the distribution of freshmen among the Houses next year.

Chaired by Dean Monro, the group will include three other deans and five members of the teaching Faculty. The only Master on the committee is Bruce Chalmers, of Winthrop House, who has been favorable to the new House assignment system announced last week.

Other Faculty members are Ernest R. May, Senior Tutor of Kirkland House; Carl Kaysen, Lucius N. Littauer Professor of Political Economy and an Associate of Kirkland House; Oscar Handlin, Winthrop Professor of History and a Fellow of Leverett House; and B.J. Whiting '25, professor of English and a Fellow of Lowell House.

In addition to Monro, the Deans who will form the "staff" of the new Committee include Dean Watson, F. Skiddy von Stade Jr. '38, dean of freshmen; and George W. Goethals '43, assistant dean of the College. The "staff" will process applications for the Committee.

The committee appears to be heavily weighted in favor of the new House assignment plan drafted by Dean Ford. Its membership does not include any out-spoken opponents of the new system or strong partisans of House images.

Serving his first year as a Master, Chalmers has advocated changes in the old House assignment plan. Kirkland House, which has for several years had the fewest applications under the mandatory three-choice system, has been a center for discontent with the process, and two members of the committee have close ties to Kirkland.

Handlin was a member of a faculty committee which last year recommend abolition of all elements of choice in House assignment in favor of assignment by computer.

Monro commented Wednesday that while no provision has been made for the use of computers, the staff "may use IBM equipment to present information to the Committee. There may be some issues which can be computerized." He said the use of machines in House assignment could be similar to their use in the preliminary stages of the admissions process.

The Committee is expected to meet for the first time next fall. After discussions with other Masters and interested members of the Faculty, it will determine most of the policy of the new assignment plan.

According to a decision by the Corporation last week, freshmen and Masters may indicate preferences only by a special letter to Dean Monro, stating a "substantial reason" for any choice. All assignment will be handled by the Committee, on the basis of established quotas in such categories as school background, academic standing, and field of concentration