At its meeting Monday, the HCUA recommended that Radcliffe students be allowed to dine interhouse at Harvard on date nights when escorted by a Harvard undergraduate. This moderate reform is long overdue.

In a way, it is unfortunate that the HCUA chose to hang its proposal on the distinction between "date nights" and other nights. The Masters' Victorian tendency to regard women only as "dates"--that is, as silly, mindless sexual objects--has given the House System a reactionary flavor in a University which is generally progressive in its attitude toward women.

The Masters are said to think that women lower the tone of conversation in the dining halls. Whatever tiny grain of truth this view holds grows tinier by the day. Both the girls and the Houses would benefit from a more natural and relaxed situation--say, interhouse dining every night, without the "escort" provision. Still, what the HCUA proposes would be a vast improvement. By accepting it, the Masters would acknowledge that Harvard and Radcliffe students are equal members of an intellectual community.