Mem Hall's marble Civil War heroes may well blink with surprise today as all estimated 4900 undergraduates pase in review, starting at 8:30 o'clock, to sign up for the '47 spring term. Coupled with the 446 envelopes picked up last week by new arrivals, today's registration is expected to hold enrollment figures close to the 5402 record set this past fall.
Although 30 envelopes remained unclaimed during the early rush Thursday and Friday, Registrar Sergeant Kennedy '28 foresaw enough returnees, plus newcomers registering to plug the gap left by the graduation of approximately 400 Seniors.
While fall term residents calmly unpacked their oxford-cloth button-downs and knitted ties last night, 17 of the new registrants prepared to bed down in Hemenway Gymnasium where they dreamed of the promise of Associate Dean Robert B. Watson '37 that they would be in rooms by the end of the month.
Nevertheless, Watson felt that the undergraduate housing problem was well in hand, adding that nearly all of the upperclassmen who lived in the Yard and Claverly during the fall have been transplanted to the Houses.
Of the men returning to Cambridge from the short recess following final exams, all those whose surnames fall between A and B will have to get up before lunch to make the 8:30 to 12 o'clock deadline. The remainder of the alphabet will register from 1 to 4 o'clock. Late arrivals will have to squeeze into Mers Hall between 4 and 5 o'clock.
Fresh from placement examinations Friday and Saturday, the early registrants also have a full day ahead with a meeting at New Lecture Hall scheduled for 9 o'clock and conferences with advisers from 10 to 4.
Since classes will not begin until Wednesday all men have tomorrow free for standing in book-lines and filling slips if they are veterans.
Expecting the natural attrition rate to leave a few rooms vacant during the coming term, Watson has a long-range plan whereby forced commuters in June may move into College halls for a couple of months at least. At present, there are 300 students living within the 45-minute range.
All students should beware of being overcharged for textbooks by the dealers in the Square during the buying rush of the coming week, according to a statement from the Student Council.
Purchasers under the G.I. Bill of Rights should be especially on the alert, since "If they overdraw their allotments, they may have to sacrifice eligibility time," the announcement said. All complaints, both by veterans and non-veterans, should be filed at the Book Order Department of the Veterans Office, Weld Hall 9.
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