Extend Party Hours

Undergraduates could soon have something to celebrate—starting next fall, it is likely that at least four houses will allow parties to continue until 2 a.m., one hour later than the current limit. While these changes have not yet been finalized, the strong campaign undertaken by the Undergraduate Council bodes well for hardy partygoers. We applaud the council for its efforts in this endeavor, and we implore the House masters to institute the new schedule as expeditiously as possible.

Some House masters, however, have been reluctant to institute the new policy. Their concerns have focused largely on two areas: security and tutor sleeping habits. In terms of security, the new Harvard University Police Department (HUPD) shift from 6:30 p.m. to 2:30 a.m. should be able to deal effectively with the later hour. While it is true that security guards for the Houses will need to extend their shifts slightly, the University should be able to shoulder this added cost with relatively little effort.

The second main argument leveled against extending party hours until 2 a.m. is directed toward the disruption late parties would pose to tutors who would be trying to sleep. But this concern seems unwarranted, as most tutors are young graduate students themselves, who often enjoy Boston’s social scene until the wee hours of the morning. They are as unlikely as undergraduates to be sleeping at 1 a.m. on Friday and Saturday nights.

The current 1 a.m. limit no longer reflects the social habits of Harvard students. Students’ weekend schedules have shifted later, and it makes little sense to send students looking for a more reasonable party lengh off campus. Extending the party hours will help improve the social life of undergraduates on campus, and it will improve the College’s reputation for social life.

The push for this change has come largely from the council, which has effectively lobbied the administration on this issue. This type of improvement in student life is exactly the sort of project for which the council is best suited, and we encourage it to continue fighting for the betterment of undergraduate life on campus.