Interhouse Interdiction

First, Eliot, now Lowell, and before long, likely Quincy. In a post-Cold War example of the Domino Effect, it seems inevitable that River Houses which have not yet adopted interhouse dining restrictions will soon fall in line. Lowell’s announcement last week that it would adopt interhouse restrictions is the feather that broke the broccoli chicken’s back. The new rules will send hungry freshmen and quadlings to the last bastions of free eating by the River—overcrowding them and provoking more restrictions in turn.

In the past, we have advocated a free system without such restrictions. But circumstances have changed. Dining halls without restrictions are being flooded with hungry students who are now barred from the majority of dining halls by the River at peak hours. While restrictions have undeniable drawbacks, they have become a necessary evil. In order to minimize their deleterious effects, some easy fixes should be made so that the system of restrictions does not unfairly treat those who genuinely need to eat at River dining halls.

Interhouse restrictions have been implemented across campus for a variety of reasons. Eliot House decided to impose restrictions because the House was swamped at dinner, mostly with athletes who ate there en masse on the way back from practice. Lowell, on the other hand, was closed after the dining hall staff reported that they were overworked and could not handle the immense volume of meals.

Regardless of why they are imposed, these restrictions are necessary for two reasons. First, Harvard runs 14 dining halls because dining halls are the focal point of House life. They create a sense of community that would not exist in their absence. When dining halls are overrun with other students on a regular basis, House community suffers. Second, part of the convenience of the House system is having a readily accessible and conveniently located dining hall. Students who live in a House should not have trouble getting food or finding places to sit because of overcrowding—after all, the dining hall is there primarily to serve House residents.

A one guest per resident policy seems to be the only way to solve this problem. As has been shown at Eliot, Lowell, and Adams, without restrictions a well-located dining hall will be overrun with students. And restrictions seem to work. For instance, Eliot is nowhere near as overcrowded at dinner as it was during the first few weeks of the school year. Restrictions have produced results, and as such, the basic one guest per resident policy should not be expanded.

However, restrictions are unfair to some students. In particular, upperclassmen randomly assigned to live in the Quad simply do not have the time to go to their designated dining hall for lunch, and in some cases dinner. They should not be forced to buy food in the Square or, even worse, navigate Fly-by.

To ease the burden on students who have to eat at a restricted house or not eat at all, restrictions should only apply during prime time meal hours. For instance, dinner restrictions should only apply from six to seven o’clock, providing a window on each end for students who have no other options. Quad houses should also have sister dining halls where Quadlings can eat regardless of restrictions, much like the arrangement between Pforzheimer House and Adams House, as their geographical burden is particularly difficult.

Finally, other dining options should be improved. Harvard University Dining Services’ (HUDS) bag lunch service is currently underutilized, and given the tasty food and ease of online ordering, should be used more frequently. In the same vein of providing alternative options, Fly-by dining in Loker Commons must be improved. Currently the quality and variety of food is poor and its layout is even worse. HUDS should separate the stations where students get their food from the station for the card-swiper. Directing students to get their food first and then line up to swipe would also work. This change would ameliorate the current system of one line for food and swiping, which creates an absolutely maddening bottleneck at peak hours of the day.

With dining hall overcrowding becoming an increasingly large problem on campus, the proliferation of stringent interhouse dining restrictions is not a surprise. The escalation of restrictions is a necessary evil that we will have to live with, but it should not be a pox on all the Houses.