Back to School

As first-years settle into Orientation Week, most recently having gorged their way through last night's traditional Ice Cream Bash, upperclass students are getting down to business--at least in their extracurriculars.

And thanks to a wise decision on the part of the administration, such students were able to move into the rooms they will actually live in this year.

Harvard has shown itself to be capable of recognizing its mistakes, not too proud to reconsider its inconsiderate policy of previous years, when athletes and others returning to campus early were given temporary housing and told they could bring just two bags to those interim rooms.

Moving in is one of those things most people hate and which college students, unlike the rest of the world, must do every year. The administration should therefore do all it can to make the annual process as painless as possible. This year's policy is a major improvement. But there are two steps that would make moving in easier and more equitable.

First, for those students allowed to check-in early, house storage and the UPS depot should be open, even for limited hours. This year, storage does not open until Sept. 10, so many students who have moved in remain without access to the better part of their belongings. This means living out of suitcases for a week--and once storage does open on Thursday, a mad rush to the basement.

Second, ideally, all students, not just those involved in extracurricular activities, should be allowed to move in on the same, early date. This year, that was September 4. This measure would also reduce the movein congestion by spreading it over a longer period.

But most important, giving us at least a full week to move in before the start of classes would be the proper way to begin the year. The time would provide a much-needed transition period between the summer and the school year in which to settle in, get reacquainted with one another and our Cambridge surroundings and prepare for the rigors of fall. By the time classes began, students would no longer need to be trekking to storage or to the hardware store for dorm room supplies.

The College should be commended for letting early-returning upperclass students stay in their own rooms. But there remains a ways to go before Harvard's move-in system is perfect.