Diversity and Division

Change the Lottery and Win Big

Three years ago, Harvard changed its housing lottery in an effort to break some House stereotypes and to create a more diverse atmosphere. At the time, there was an enormous uproar that students would no longer have any choice in the housing lottery. So the University settled on a compromise plan that allows blocking groups to list four house to be placed in random order, if their lottery number is high enough, they get one of those four houses.

Instead of promoting choice while reducing House stereotypes, this system has created a lot of negative thinking. We don't worry about where we want to live anymore. We just think about where we definitely don't want to live. We eliminate Houses from our list because of their stereotypes-- one House is too elitist, one too far away, one too arty. It turns out that House stereotypes--and House negative thinking--are only increased.

That groups of students live in a particular House or area of the campus is significant if it means that they aren't living somewhere else because of some sort of negative feeling. If science concentrators feel uncomfortable in Winthrop House because they don't feel like they can study there, it won't end up on their lottery list, and Quad houses might appear instead by default.

Harvard is at a point where all of its students will be products of this non-ordered non-choice plan. And we can tell that it is not working. Students continue to block in interest groups: many African-American students live in the Quad, many athletes live in Kirkland, many literature concentrators live in Adams House. This has been the case for a long time, but it is no longer because of choice. Harvard has reframed the question for all of us here. Now we live where we want to because we didn't want to live somewhere else.

Harvard should think seriously about what to do to solve this problem. If they don't change the system to a more positive note, House stereotypes and segregation will become more noticeable. Soon Houses will be completely void of the kind of diversity of race, gender and interest that the system hoped to foster.

The one way to avoid this is complete randomization. Level the playing field for upper class students. Our Houses are supposed to be equal anyway. Harvard should start acting as if they are. This won't be a magic solution to the underlying problem people have living in a diverse society, but "living together" is a big part of the solution. Beth L. Pinsker '93   Crimson Co-Editorial Chair