Mather Residents Hit Breakfast Plan

After more than two weeks of quiescence, students are reacting with a wave of protests to Dean Fox's decision to limit to four the number of Houses serving full breakfasts.

In response to student requests, David and Patricia Herlihy, masters of Mather House, will submit a letter to Fox next week asking that either Mather or Dunster be made one of the Houses to offer a full breakfast, Patricia Herlihy said yesterday.

The letter will also request that Fox reconsider altogether his breakfast decision, which establishes Leverett, Quincy, Kirkland and Currier as the only Houses to serve hot breakfasts.

"Mather House has gained nothing on the deal. The students feel strongly about this, and we felt we should reinforce their protest," Herlihy said.

Officers of the Mather House Council will meet as a group with Fox Monday to express their dissatisfaction with the decision, William S. Friedman '79, treasurer of the council, said yesterday.

Fox said yesterday he is "open to discussion" on the selection of Houses to serve hot breakfasts, but that he opposes changes that would upset as many people as they would benefit.

"I don't think it's appropriate to switch these Houses unless it's economically sound and unless it serves the interests of all students affected," he said.

The North House Committee will today mail to all other House committees a letter explaining the committee's objection to the limited breakfast plan, William T. Prewitt '79, Committee on Houses and Undergraduate Life representative from North House, said yesterday.

In the letter, the committee will ask the House committees to join in endorsing an $18 to $30 board increase to pay for hot breakfasts in all 12 Houses.

In addition, the letter will ask House committees to seek student signatures on a North House petition expressing preference for the board increase instead of the limited breakfast plan.

Since Fox intended that savings from the limited breakfast plan would defray the cost of opening one serving line at the Union on weekends next year, a $30 in- crease would be needed to cover the costs of offering hot breakfast at all 12 Houses, Ann B. Spence, assistant dean of the College, said yesterday.

Prewitt said the North House Committee, which voted unanimously to endorse the board increase alternative, opposes the limited breakfast plan because it is inconvenient, erodes House unity and establishes a precedent for further centralization of dining.

The Mather House Council voted unanimously Tuesday night to "condemn Dean Fox's breakfast plan" and with one dissenting vote to "urge Dean Fox to reconsider his choice of Houses on the breakfast plan."

Richard F. Rowley '78, vice chairman of the council, said the plan only harmed Mather, since opening the Union was designed to relieve weekend River House crowding but Mather's distance from the Yard enabled it to avoid crowding.

"The plan wasn't designed to help us,and now we don't get breakfast. Mather has a low popularity--we have the highest sophomore sex ratio, overcrowding, and poor shuttle bus service--but now they're making it worse," he said.

Spence said she and Fox did not attach much significance to which three River Houses would be chosen, since she "hoped very much" to be able to rotate hot breakfasts from House to House every year.

Spence and Fox established four groups of three neighboring Houses each, and then let Frank J. Weissbecker, director of Food Services, decide which House within each group would serve the hot breakfast Spence said.

Weissbecker chose the Houses with the goal of minimizing costs and the need for relocating kitchen employees, she added