Students and Administrators Prepare for Housing Day

With plans for T-shirts, signs, videos, dinner receptions, and activities currently underway, House Committees and administrators and students have been working together to rally House pride and prepare to welcome the new members on Housing Day this Thursday.

House Committees have started to release their student-produced Housing Day videos—a tradition intended to highlight the qualities of the College’s 12 residential Houses. According to Leverett HoCo Co-Chair Chad J. Benoit ’16, House Committees typically open up the process to the entire House, soliciting ideas for the video and voting for the best one.

Quincy House Master Deborah J. Gehrke hinted at the content of the Quincy House video. “Let’s just say drones are involved,” she said.

By Christine E Mansour

The Pforzheimer, Cabot, and Currier House Committees have joined together to develop a Quad video, named “Quadweiser 2015 #BestBuds,” inspired by this year’s Budweiser Superbowl commercial. Pforzheimer House Master Anne Harrington ’82 applauded the special sense of community among the three Houses.

“There is a tremendous esprit de corps at the Quad,” she said.

Gehrke said many House masters have opened their residences for students to make signs with slogans demonstrating House pride and gather noisemakers in preparation for storming Harvard Yard on Housing Day. She added that some upperclassmen will participate in the Housing Day festivities Thursday morning by donning mascot costumes and creative gear, carrying signs and the all-important Housing assignment letters to deliver to the waiting freshmen.

According to Benoit, each House will organize activities outside Annenberg to instill House spirit in their newest residents. Benoit noted that Leverett House will run their annual “bunny petting zoo” in a nod to their House mascot, the rabbit.

“The ‘Lev Army’ will definitely be out in full force on Thursday,” he said.

Gehrke added that, at the end of the day, freshmen will be invited to dine in their new House dining halls, where House administrators and students will welcome them.