House Transfer Hopefuls Apply to Make Their Move

Applications for upper-class students to transfer among the Houses were due yesterday afternoon at the 12 House offices.

Although many Houses had yet to tabulate the number of applications received, several House administrators said the number of applications appeared to be about the same as in previous years.

Students could apply either to be randomly placed in another House or to join a specific blocking group in another House.

Transfer results will be available from the Undergraduate Housing Office next Thursday.

Those applying to be randomly placed into a House were required to indicate up to two Houses where they did not want to move. Groups with applicants from different Houses could select three Houses.

Five Houses-Dunster, Kirkland, Leverett, Lowell and Winthrop-placed restrictions on the gender or class year of students they would accept as transfers. Dunster, for example, will not accept applications from male students who will be seniors next year.

The restrictions, several House administrators said, are meant to help achieve gender balance in the Houses.

Kirkland was the only House not accepting any transfer students. Assistant to the Masters Diane A. Barrios refused to comment on this decision.

Adams House Assistant to the Masters Victoria R. Macy said Adams House-the closest House to Harvard Yard-had received seven applications to transfer into the House. She said only four groups had applied to leave.

Applications to transfer into Winthrop appear to be up from previous years, said Assistant to the Masters Karen Reiber.

"It seemed to me that we have a lot more people making transfers," she said. "I like to think of it as a compliment."

According to Housing officer Mac J. Broderick, staff members in the Undergraduate Housing Office will process all of the applications in the next week, placing applicants in new Houses based on space constraints.

Not every applicant will succeed.

Students who were unsuccessful at transferring in past years will have preference in this year's bid.