Eliot House: A Bastion of...Service?

Tradition continues to define Eliot House, despite its recent trends towards diversification, toleration and acceptance.

Students say Eliot has forsaken its stereotype as the WASP house where the slogan "Are you on the guest list?" marks the T-shirts which residents sport beneath Polo button-downs.

But simultaneously Eliot has resisted the temptation to abandon the qualities of the house which have distinguished its truly hallowed halls. "Even with non-ordered choice, we have still managed to maintain our character as Eliot House," says Amir Goldkorn '94. "We have not succumbed to the forces that are making other houses just like dorms."

The 1992-1993 Unofficial Guide to Life at Harvard even touts Eliot as "the house that's more Harvard than Harvard itself."

Goldkorn and others attribute this steadfast commitment to Eliot's traditions to their unifying community service projects which foster as sense of "cohesiveness" within the house. "The things that we do rather than who we are define Eliot now," says Co-Master Christine Forsgard, who was a tutor at Eliot in the early 1980s.

"If there were to be an accurate stereotype of Eliot today, it would be that we are a house that's very committed to community service," she says.

This commitment is evidenced by Eliot House projects like the annual "Evening of Champions," a figure-skating exhibition which raised approximately $150,000 last fall for Boston's Jimmy Fund, a charity which supports children's cancer research.

About half of Eliot's 450 residents were involved with the organization and administration of the event this year, says Charles K. Lee '93, who co-chaired the event this year.

"For incoming sophomores, the 'Evening of Champions' is often the first taste of Eliot they get," he says.

Forsgard agrees that the social initiation into the house was easily and commonly facilitated by joining with one's housemates in service projects.

In addition to the 23-year "Evening of Champions" tradition, the House and Neighborhood Development program was conceived at Eliot House more than a decade ago.

Not only is Eliot unique in the amount of financial resources it devotes to public service, Lee says, but the residents' individual commitments allow these projects to grow in prestige and scope. "If we do have a stereotype now, our former elitism would have been washed away by 'volunteerism,'" he says. "That's what sets up apart from other houses."

But other formerly familiar sights are more habitually associated with Eliot House, such as croquet on the lawn or house cocktail parties. "Tradition--if that's what a cocktail party constitutes, then those are traditions we have no problem perpetuating," Eliot Co-Master Stephen A. Mitchell.

Mitchell's predecessor, Alan E. Heimert '49, who retired last year after 23 years as master, was seen as the steward who retained the traditions of Old Harvard at Eliot House. Heimert's tenure was characterized by weekly cocktail hours and particularly indulgent celebrations at the Eliot Fete. When he retired along with Senior Tutor Donald Bacon, also a longtime fixture of Eliot life, many thought an era had ended.

Last year, the last class assigned to Eliot under the ordered choice system also graduated. House Co-Chair Gina V. Sanchez '94 says that "in the last two years Eliot House has seen a distinct change in attitude and the way people are, but there's still a sense of unity."

Mitchell stresses that, "despite Eliot's preppy, WASPy image," the effects of non-ordered choice housing have prevented the deliberate cultivation of house character.

"We obviously can't know the exact demographics, but the house seems about as diverse as any other," Mitchell says. "Randomization dictates what it dictates; the cards were dealt and we just work with the students we're assigned."

House committee Co-Chair Gen S. Tanabe '94 says that the stereotype of Eliot is inaccurate. "Because we know it's not true we can have fun with it," Tanabe adds. "We take pride in the illusion people have of our house."

I've been here since 1982, and the people who have been coming to Harvard are changing," Eliot Tutor Tim Wilkins says. "They're much more apt to decide now that they really want to live where they want to live, regardless of tradition."

Goldkorn says unity in Eliot arises from "this holistic package that is Eliot." "It's hard to describe the feeling here--but it's just a knowledge that we live in the best house," he says

In addition to the 23-year "Evening of Champions" tradition, the House and Neighborhood Development program was conceived at Eliot House more than a decade ago.

Not only is Eliot unique in the amount of financial resources it devotes to public service, Lee says, but the residents' individual commitments allow these projects to grow in prestige and scope. "If we do have a stereotype now, our former elitism would have been washed away by 'volunteerism,'" he says. "That's what sets up apart from other houses."

But other formerly familiar sights are more habitually associated with Eliot House, such as croquet on the lawn or house cocktail parties. "Tradition--if that's what a cocktail party constitutes, then those are traditions we have no problem perpetuating," Eliot Co-Master Stephen A. Mitchell.

Mitchell's predecessor, Alan E. Heimert '49, who retired last year after 23 years as master, was seen as the steward who retained the traditions of Old Harvard at Eliot House. Heimert's tenure was characterized by weekly cocktail hours and particularly indulgent celebrations at the Eliot Fete. When he retired along with Senior Tutor Donald Bacon, also a longtime fixture of Eliot life, many thought an era had ended.

Last year, the last class assigned to Eliot under the ordered choice system also graduated. House Co-Chair Gina V. Sanchez '94 says that "in the last two years Eliot House has seen a distinct change in attitude and the way people are, but there's still a sense of unity."

Mitchell stresses that, "despite Eliot's preppy, WASPy image," the effects of non-ordered choice housing have prevented the deliberate cultivation of house character.

"We obviously can't know the exact demographics, but the house seems about as diverse as any other," Mitchell says. "Randomization dictates what it dictates; the cards were dealt and we just work with the students we're assigned."

House committee Co-Chair Gen S. Tanabe '94 says that the stereotype of Eliot is inaccurate. "Because we know it's not true we can have fun with it," Tanabe adds. "We take pride in the illusion people have of our house."

I've been here since 1982, and the people who have been coming to Harvard are changing," Eliot Tutor Tim Wilkins says. "They're much more apt to decide now that they really want to live where they want to live, regardless of tradition."

Goldkorn says unity in Eliot arises from "this holistic package that is Eliot." "It's hard to describe the feeling here--but it's just a knowledge that we live in the best house," he says