First-Years Get Warm Welcome

Hundreds of students cheering new residents of their Houses created a din that could be heard across campus at lunchtime yesterday.

Upperclass students and first-years met and cheered in front of Annenberg Hall from noon until after two. Shouts boasting House pride could be heard from as far as Boylston Hall.

Distance was no object for Pforzheimer House residents who migrated in hordes to Annenberg from their home abroad to welcome their future neighbors.

The overwhelming display of enthusiasm from Pforzheimer residents made some Quadded first-years especially grateful.

"When we walked into [Annenberg] they surrounded us," said Neha Jadeja '03, who was assigned to Pforzheimer along with her seven other blockmates.

Jadeja said she was initially upset about the lottery results, but after getting a taste of the House's pride, she resolved to be excited.

Jadeja's blockmate Catherine A. S. Koss '03 said her biggest fear about being in the Quad was losing touch with friends who will live in River Houses. But the clamorous hoopla created by Pforzheimer's cheerleaders made all the difference, she said.

"It makes being Quadded much more exciting," Koss said.

Another new member of Pfoho said he was so won over by his House's enthusiasm that it became his first choice.

"If I could be in any other House, I would stay in Pfoho," said W. Lucien Smith '03. "It seems like a great place to me with a lot of House spirit--something you don't always find these days."

Smith said he and his blockmates gathered with two other groups for the announcement yesterday morning. While he admits that the other groups--both assigned to River Houses--were more "jubilant" than his group was, he said no one seemed too upset.

"The first thing we did was go and read about the House," he said.

By lunchtime, he said he was satisfied with his fate, noting that in his opinion, males in the Quad have a "better chance" romantically with their blockmates since Quadded women are more likely to spend time in the House.

Smith, who is the only male in his eight-person group, said he thinks his odds are especially good.

But the excitement generated by Pforzheimer wasn't enough to diminish the excitement of first-years assigned to the River Houses.

When one group of new Eliot House residents received the much-awaited news, screams of "Eliot...Eliot" echoed through Thayer's hallways.

"I guess you could call it hysteria," said Brian J. Cruise '03, who said he felt relief at not being Quadded.

Several Eliot residents charmed Cruise's blockmates with tuxedos and sparkling cider.

"It was very classy," said Heather M. Langdon '03.

Langdon said she was particularly excited about Eliot because she is dating a sophomore in the House.

The good news almost left Langdon speechless, she said.

Smith, who blocked with his girlfriend, said that being together is more important than living in a River House.

"The biggest fear was that one would be in Mather and one in the Quad," he said.

The Eliot blocking group also admitted that friends were more important than the distance.

"I'd be happy anywhere our group went," said Amanda E. Kowalski '03, another member of Cruise's group.