To the Editors of the CRIMSON:

The long-awaited circular tray has at last arrived in the House dining halls. Unfortunately, it is utterly inadequate for several reasons.

1. The three sizes of compartment around the center make it necessary to plan out ahead all the items desired so that the right size can be tendered for each, and the proper foods placed adjacent one another to minimize the number of rotations during the eating process.

2. The compartments are too shallow. My salad was placed in one compartment and ended up in three. The potato spewed over into the central milk-glass division, and the gravy required a skilled juggling act to keep it from flowing over the side. Also there was insufficient height in the ridges to aid in getting the last mouthfuls of applesauce on the spoon (the same will certainly hold true for peas, stewed tomatoes, etc.).

3. The tray spins like a Lazy Susan, particularly when one tries to cut "tenderized" steak (a hard enough job on the old trays), and the gravy then assails the knife-wielder and occasionally his neighbors.

4. It is difficult to pick up the tray, since there is no border or space to wedge the fingers between the tray and the table.

5. The color is not harmonious with the interiors of the dining halls, and the circular shape fights with the predominantly rectangular character of the halls and their furnishings (not to mention Leverett's trapeziform phenomenon).

6. I fear, furthermore, that the new tray may also serve in intramural "flying saucer" experiments, and perhaps even in post-prandial roulette games.

In an age when "Functionalism!" is the war cry, the circular tray has certainly fallen early on the battlefield, Let us give it a quick burial. Caldwell Titcomb 4G