Poll Indicates 'Cliffe Women Happy in Yard

The first freshman women to live in the Yard are glad they live there but feel they have too little contact with upperclassmen and freshmen at Radcliffe, according to a poll conducted by the Freshman Task Force.

Seventy-two of the 202 women in the Yard responded to the poll, which will be officially released next week. The Task Force, a six-member group of upperclassmen, distributed the poll to freshman proctors in December.

Little Or No Contact

Ninety-three per cent of the women who answered the questionnaire said they were happy that they were living in the Yard, but 80 per cent said they had little or no contact with women at Radcliffe. Eightyfive percent said they had little or no contact with upperclassmen.

The women listed proximity to classes and Harvard Square, the suite system, and the large number of men as the most attractive features of the Yard.

Not Well Informed

Ninety-three per cent of the women said they had not been well informed about the differences between the Yard and Radcliffe when they sent in their room preference forms. They suggested that the differences in sex ratio and physical setup be made clearer to incoming freshmen in the future.

Many of the women polled said they would be able to judge the Yard experience better if the Freshman Dean's office would let them switch rooms with women at Radcliffe for part of the year.

F. Skiddy Von Stade Jr. '38, dean of Freshmen, said he has written a proposal on the matter of switching rooms and sent it to Presidents Bok and Horner. Von Stade would not reveal what the proposal recommended.

Large Numbers Impractical

He also said he "doesn't see how freshmen in the Yard can have any more contact with upperclassmen than they do now," because it would be impractical to move large numbers of upperclassmen into the Yard.

Lee Sheehy '73, a member of the Task Force, said yesterday the Task Force does not plan to make any suggestions to the Freshman Dean's Office on freshman housing. "It's not our position to suggest policy," he said.