Lottery Plan Reversed

Dean of the College L. Fred Jewett '57 yesterday announced he will reverse last month's decision to increase random assignments in the freshman housing lottery.

But in a sigh that the move represents more a postponement of policy than a turnabout in philosophy, Jewett simultaneously announced that he intends to press for a plan mandatory for all houses to randomly assign at least 50 percent of freshmen next year.

In his announcement yesterday, Jewett attributed the decision to a withdrawal of masters' support. When authorized Feburary 1, the original change had been contingent on participation by a majority of masters, the dean said. Jewett said yesterday that at least two house masters asked to pull out of the plan last week.

The plan, a compromise forwarded last fall by masters split over the merits of diversity or house autonomy, would have reserved 25 percent of the space available in participating houses for random assignment. Eight masters decided to join the experiment.

Jewett's decision will revert house assignment to the system of lottery number and choice in place since the early 1970s. However, the College will not rescind the decision to with-hold lottery numbers from students, which had been the custom since the 1985 lottery.

The reversal will not effect this year's lottery schedule, which begins March 13.

"Some masters who originally felt that the experiment was adequate changed their minds," Jewett said. Jewett said he reversed his decision on Monday, after at least two house masters withdrew their support.

Yesterday, Dunster and Mather house masters said they abandoned the experiment in part because of strong student opposition to the change.

"The grievance from freshman was really very considerable," Dunster Co-Master D. Cresap Moore said. "After freshmen indicated opposition to [the lottery change], we went back to our original position."

More than 1000 freshmen signed a petition demanding a reversal of the decision and presented it to Jewett and house masters one week after its announcement.

Mather Master Jeffrey G. Williamson said he was "on the margin" when he cast the vote in favor of last month's lottery alterations, but changed his mind when he realized fewer houses would participate. "It has to be a system that is adopted by all the houses," he said.

Other administrators agreed the plan's main weakness stemmed from disagreement among masters.

"This might have been avoided had we said in the beginning that all houses would participate," Assistant Dean for the House System Thomas A. Dingman '67 said. "The nonuniformity of the plan made people hesitate."

The masters of the four houses who originally declined to join the experiment--Adams, Eliot, Lowell and Winthrop--could not be reached for comment yesterday.

Leverett House Master John E. Dowling '57, a strong advocate of the experiment, said he was disappointed that plans to increase random assignment will be delayed for a year.

"We're turning back on something that'simportant to the College, but I applaud [Jewett's]statement that he will seek next year to changethe system across the board," he said.

Jewett said that he was influenced by studentarguments that a random system should be used inall houses and that 25 percent is too small anumber to influence house diversity.

However, he also said he disagrees with theargument that the College should inform studentsof the house assignment policy before they come toHarvard. Freshmen who opposed the plan listed allthree complaints in their petition to reverse thepolicy.

Many masters said yesterday they will backJewett's proposed plan for next year, but severalstudents said they do not support apartially-random system.

"I think it's totally awesome that students canhave so much influence," said petition drafter M.Scott Murphy '92, but he added he will opposeJewett's proposal for 50 percent random assignmentnext year.

"It is unfair because it only takes away choicefrom some people," Murphy said.

"I don't know if I would support a sustem thatis 50-50. At this point the administration shouldmake up its mind whether it wants to go completelyrandom or not do it at all," said Lauren Keller'92, who signed the petition to Jewett.

The head of the newly-formed Committee forChoice in Housing, Eugene Stern '92, calledJewett's proposal "pointless" and said he does notbelieve students will support it