Give Lists a Chance

First there was Pfoho Open and the Adams Schmooze lists. Then, Eliot, Winthrop and Quincy followed suit. By the beginning of this year, nine of the twelve Houses had established e-mail lists—unmoderated electronic forums where students can post messages that are sent to all members of a House community.

Undeniably, some of these e-mail lists have begun with a shaky start—in several Houses there has been little to no interest in these lists, while in others, there have been overly heated debates that have since degenerated into name-calling and other tomfoolery. But, these extreme cases aside, there are certain exemplars, such as Pforzheimer’s Pfoho Open, where the e-mail list serves as a legitimate forum for students to voice opinions, make announcements, advertise the sale of personal items and, more generally, get to know one another better.

If used properly, these e-mail lists can significantly enhance the development of intellectual dialogue and community spirit within the Houses. (Some Houses, for example, may need this electronic forum to replace actual discourse that would take place during Brain Breaks—should they be suspended again.) They can help post-randomized Houses achieve their purpose as diverse communities, by exposing students to other people in their Houses with whom they might not otherwise have been familiar. They also facilitate the complex financial transactions within the House, as students are able to buy and sell unwanted items, thereby sparing bulletin boards an unnecessary and excessive coating of fliers.

Yet, despite these advantages, House e-mail lists, as with any innovation, have invariably attracted their fair share of criticism. Many complain that House lists send nothing but spam, cluttering inboxes with piles of unwanted messages. Others are dubious of any useful purpose for the e-mail lists. But for all of the critics’ whining and pessimism, there remains a simple remedy for these problems. Those who do not wish to participate in the e-mail lists can either delete the unwanted messages or unsubscribe from the list. Thus, only those who wish to participate in the e-mail list must do so.

In this post-randomization period where House communities are tenuously cohesive at best, successful e-mail lists provide an additional forum where Houses can build communities for their students. With so few opportunities currently available for the formation of House community, it is up to students to make the best use of this newly available resource.