CHUL Lifts Transfer Freeze, Takes No Action on Claverly

The Committee on Housing and Undergraduate Life (CHUL) voted yesterday to loosen its freeze on housing transfers in response to the complaints of freshmen who have been unwillingly assigned to Radcliffe Houses.

But CHUL decided to take no direct action to help the 144 dissatisfied freshmen, voting down proposals to reconvert Claverly Hall into an upperclass dormitory and to give dissatisfied students seeking transfers priority in next year's housing pool.

The CHUL resolution, passed by a 14-12 vote, permits students in the Class of '76 to arrange house transfers immediately between any Harvard House any any Radcliffe House. All other switches are banned until December 1.

The resolution calls for transfers to "maintain as nearly as possible" the 1.18-to-1 male-female ratio that CHUL has established for Radcliffe Houses.

Dean Whitlock said yesterday that the Housing Office will "act in every way possible" to facilitate transfers and said that the office would accept written requests for transfer at the end of the examination period.

Whitlock said that CHUL would make a major effort next year to devise a new House-assignment system.

Clifford M. Lewis '76, who presented the freshmen's proposal at the CHUL meeting, said that he was "disappointed" with the decision.

"I wish that the representatives had been more concerned with the immediate situation rather than with the long range housing problem," Lewis said.

Yesterday's CHUL meeting was called in response to the organized protests of freshmen who are unhappy with their housing assignments. An unprecedented 15 per cent of the freshmen were not assigned to one of their five choices.

The committee voted against the proposal to reconvert Claverly primarily because the move would result in Radcliffe housing a disproportionate number of freshmen.

This year Radcliffe Houses accommodated 25 per cent of the freshmen class. CHUL last March converted