The Lottery

“I’m so excited for Housing Day.”

My blockmates and I were sitting around the common room of my suite in Thayer at seven in the morning. After the stresses of putting together our blocking group, we couldn’t wait to live together in one of Harvard’s 12 upperclassmen Houses the following year. As sounds of cheering reached our ears early that Thursday morning, we hurried to the window to see hordes of upperclassmen rush into the yard from all directions.

As we waited, we remembered the past few months of conversations with upperclassmen about House life. We were impressed that these students felt passionate enough about their Houses to talk about them at length, to wear their gear, to play in intramurals, to spend hours on Housing Day videos, and to run outside during a freezing winter morning to welcome freshmen into their community.

“You just won the lottery.”

Looking back out the window, we saw that the various crowds of cheering upperclassmen had dispersed across the Yard to carry news of the housing lottery to eager freshmen. The sounds of knocking and yelling echoed up and down Thayer while my blockmates caught glimpses of each House’s cohort through the door’s peephole.

And then, the knock sounded on our door. I peeked through the eyehole one last time, and my shoulders slumped. When I told my roommates Cabot had come to call, one joked that we shouldn’t open the door, but ultimately we did. The Cabotians rushed into the suite flinging Swedish Fish across the room as we looked upon them with little expression. When the group departed, my blockmates and I were left with a sweets-covered floor and sour faces.

My blockmates and I soon parted ways to carry on with our days—classes and, in my case, midterms awaited. As I encountered my freshman peers we shared news of our fortunes. Responses to my announcement of Cabot ranged from the excited to the commiserative—I would be all right, I could transfer after a year, some told me. It was these sentiments that I found particularly hard to process. Between the upperclassmen conversations I had heard earlier in the year, and the looks upon the faces of my peers, my expectations for life in Cabot were low.

“It'll be okay.”

These past three years, I have certainly considered transferring to be closer to the square and friends—my mind has shuttled back and forth along Garden Street. However, I never submitted a transfer application. Instead, my Cabot experience has surpassed my sophomoric expectations—the housing, the community, and for the chance to learn from and love my House Masters. While I have come to form my own thoughts about my House, I continue to reflect upon the disparaging comments I heard freshman year and continue to hear today leveled against the Quad Houses and certain River Houses. Negative sentiment directed at any House is both unnecessary and harmful to student life at Harvard.

Critical comments
 do not help cultivate excitement or House spirit. The negative culture of putting down allegedly inferior Houses disguises the fact that there are many students who are beyond happy living in Houses some of their peers deem less desirable. This only perpetuates the unfortunate myth that some Houses are categorically better than others. Students here should not hinder the ability of their peers to enjoy Harvard by diminishing Housing Day or the House experience that is integral to life at the College.

“Semper Cor.”

It’s important to remember that Harvard is in a period of positive transition. With the support of students, Harvard Transportation Services has expanded shuttle service, and we can all work together to make sure that the University keeps supporting student transportation needs. On the River, undergraduate life will also change with the large-scale House renewal project and the creation of the Smith Campus Center. Each of us can take part in making sure that these spaces look the way we want and that they bring together students no matter where they live.

In the meantime, I encourage upperclassmen to storm the Yard on Housing Day and build up the spirit for all Houses. Freshmen, enjoy this very special part of the year with your blockmates, and set high expectations for the House life to come.

Christopher H. Cleveland ’14, a class marshal for the Class of 2014, is a sociology concentrator living in Cabot House.