The Hidden Members of Harvard

Rebellion among Harvard undergraduates has apparently been on the decline since the storming of University Hall in 1969. But many rebels without causes are still hidden within our very own houses. The newest fad in student resistance? Dorm-room pets.

According to the Handbook for Students, “No student may keep an animal in a building owned or leased by the College.”

But does the College really care? According to school rules, it is the House superintendent’s job to deal with rebel students and dorm pets. If the super is unsuccessful with the offending student/rodent, the issue must be taken up with the administration.

But Adams House Resident Dean Sharon L. Howell, who says she believes “there are no pets today in Adams,” promises: “I would try to be nice.”

So far, students seem to be holding their own in the fight for Fifi. Take “Laura,” for instance, who has lived with her overweight hamster, Zoë, since February.

“It doesn’t even fit into its ball anymore!” she complains. Chubby or not, Zoë does not get between Laura and her roommates. “They don’t care, they like it. They like to play with it.” But whatever her roommates think about her hamster, Laura still needs to protect it from the prying eyes of her super, and her mom. Zoë has spent time chilling out in the closet to avoid detection, and Laura says she might cover the cage with a towel during the next room check.

Morgan M.W. Jessee ’09 sums up the general feeling on the subject, saying pets are okay with her as long as they’re in miniature: “Little ones, nothing that is going to poop all over or anything.”

True that.