Junior Plans Freshman House Guide

This year's freshmen will have some additional advice--from residents of each of the Houses--when making their lottery choices thanks to a new, student-published guide to the Houses.

David A. Segal '86 hopes to separate House myths from reality by publishing "The Freshman Guide to Housing" this spring.

"Ask a freshman and they have a one-line cliche [describing each House] like, 'Oh, Kirkland, that's for jocks.' Houses have a lot more to offer than freshmen think they do--there's more to each House than one line," Segal said.

Monday he postered each House, soliciting contributions for the guide which the Committee on Student Life accepted last week as an official College publication.

Quad-phobia

A Cabot House Junior, Segal said he hopes to dispel what he termed, "quad-phobia." "I was told ar a freshman to be scared to death of the Quad and when I heard, I was scared ... there's a stereotype and it's not right," he added.

Segal came up with the idea this fall while jogging. "Freshmen don't have to be in the dark about the Houses. What is there now is just not accurate."

The Harvard Housing Office currently publishes similarly titled publication which outlines the history and facilities of each house.

But "the University booklet doesn't really tell you what the people are like, what the room conditions are, or how appropriate the stereotype is," said the English major.

Harvard Housing Office officials could not be reached for comment.

Council Support?

Segal has estimated that the cost of printing and distributing the booklet will be less than $600. Since he missed the official deadline, he requested an emergency grant from the Undergraduate Council to finance the project.

The Council, still deliberating over the first round of grant applications, has $1900 left to award to organizations who have valid excuses for missing the first deadline, said financial committee co-chairman Kenneth Shen '86.

Segal said he hopes to establish the House guide as an annual publication and would be willing to sell copies to endow the publication in the future.

One freshman senior advisor was reluctant to praise the new publication without seeing it first. Said Robert B. Cashion '82, "Freshmen worry too much about the particulars. We think it's important to stress that freshmen can be happy anywhere."