But Jordan people are no more isolated than they choose to be. There is always an "inflow of guests." You says, and the co-ops have an arrangement with House kitchens whereby they get one meal in a House each time they feed a Harvard guest.

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The Dudley co-op and the Jordans are as different from each other as they both are from the Houses--the three Jordans have distinct "personalities" too--and the differences are reflected in the way each group views the other. From the more-detached perspective of the Dudley co-op, the Jordans are hardly distinguishable from the Quad Houses.

"The Radcliffe co-op members are just living in a Harvard dorm and cooking their own food. Anyone can do that with a hot plate in his room, scoffed a senior who has lived in 3 Sac since his freshman year. And one Jordan a resident had a similarly scornful attitude towards Dudley residents: "All they do down there is watch TV and drink beer."

Neither view is quite fair, but of the many important differences between the two co-ops--old houses versus modern complexes, student maintenance versus maid service, half-rent versus full, separation from campus versus nearness to the Quad--the greatest difference is one of atmosphere. The restrained tone of Jordan J is worlds away from the freewheeling disorder of 3 Sac.

But the individuals in the three Jordans and the two Dudley houses share a common basic attitude which has evolved from their commitment to a cooperative venture. Co-op residents have countered the anonymity and pressure of a large university by sharing the closeness of a smaller community. The experience of working together leads to a psychological commitment that holds most people in a co-op until they leave here, loyal to a way of life that continues in separation--but not isolation--from the mainstream of Harvard.