Overcrowding in Quincy House Spurs Housewide Petitioning

Quincy House Committee members are circulating a petition this week calling attention to overcrowded conditions and requesting both the admissions and housing offices to alleviate the problem throughout the housing system.

The petition, which will be sent to President Bok, Dean Fox, and Thomas A. Dingman '67, dean of housing, states that overcrowding in all the Houses, but especially in Quincy House, "is running the House system."

It's Too Crowded

Willa H. Brown '81, chairman of the Quincy House Committee, said yesterday the housing office assumes an 8 per cent attrition rate in each House and accordingly assigns a surplus number of incoming students.

"This year we had only a 5.9 per cent arttrition rate," Brown said. She added that the 1978 report on house overcrowding, the "Friedman Report," includes stairwells and hallways as living space.

Dingman said yesterday, "All the Houses are, I think, getting rather equitable treatment." He added that in the past years, the 8 per cent attrition rate figure has been an accurate figure upon which to base housing assignments.

Real People

Charles W. Dunn, master of Quincy House, said yesterday, "The formula for attrition is not very useful when we're talking about real people." He added, "The answer is to regulate, in some way, flow in and out of the college."

Quincy House Committee members will ask the admissions office to establish a policy to admit fewer freshmen each year. Admissions officals were unavailable for comment yesterday.

Fluke

Housing officer Susan A. Neer said yesterday, "This is a fluke year for Quincy House. Kirkland House went through it two years in a row."

"We aren't concerned solely with Q-House," Brown said yesterday, adding that she will contact other House committee chairmen to propose a joint effort.