U.C. Plans for College Facebook

It's time for Harvard students to have Interhouse Facebooks! The Undergraduate Council is looking into a project ot create facebooks compiled of photos, addresses and telephone numbers for students in all 13 houses throughout the Harvard campus. Having an Interhouse Facebook at Harvard similar to those successfully implemented at Princeton and Dartmouth will make it much easier for upperclass students to identify and contact other students on campus, while allowing them greater access to pertinent information about each house.

According to current plans, the Interhouse Facebook will be organized according to house, thereby retaining individual house spirit while at the same time fostering a greater sense of unity among Harvard students. In addition, one copy of the Facebook will be given to each student, with additional copies available for purchase at a nominal cost.

There is no better time than now for the Interhouse Facebook project to get underway. Production of the facebook will be easier than ever before because of the new computer imaging system used to create Harvard ID's. The system will facilitate the printing process and help alleviate the current costly method of printing facebooks. In addition, large-scale production will make individual house contributions toward financing the facebook much cheaper.

Production costs for the Interhouse Facebook will be paid for primarily through house funds. Additional subsidization will be provided through advertising and through the U.C., which is organizing and coordinating the project, and some campus offices may have discretionary funds that can be used towards financing the project as well. In addition, information pertaining to students that is normally published separately can be included in the Facebook, saving the costs that would normally be incurred by campus-wide organizations in publishing separate booklets.

The U.C. will place the issue of Interhouse Facebooks on its next student survey on order to gauge student interest in the project and determine whether or not the Facebook should serve as a replacement for or supplement to individual house facebooks. With the input of students, as well as house committees and house masters, we hope we can construct a viable plan for an inexpensive Interhouse Facebook that will make it much easier for students to identify and contact other students on campus and foster a greater sense of unity among Harvard students. Carey Gabay   President   Undergraduate Council