The day came to a start slowly, and the Harvard Yard dorms looked almost unready to shake off their summertime sleepiness. But in the half-night, half-day haze of a very early Friday morning, the first members of the Class of 1995 began trickling in.

Even before the customary flocks of cars, vans and U-hauls began lining the Ivy gates, a dozen or so eager Yardlings waited anxiously nearby the official green and white striped room key tent.

At 7:04 a.m., Natasha E. Litt '95 achieved the dubious distinction of being the first member of her class to receive a room key.

"Maybe I should have a little tape recorder with me, Twin Peaks style" said Litt, who flew in from California on Thursday night. "On one hand I feel pretty nerdy, but on the other hand, my parents aren't with me."

And Litt wasn't the only first-year enjoying the sights of the early-morning Yard. "We left New York at 3:30 a.m.," said Ellen C. Reilly '95, another early bird, as she unloaded her car in front of Grays Hall at 7:30 a.m. "It's my parents, not me. They wanted to beat the traffic."

Many parents seemed to have the same idea in mind, and by 8 a.m., cars and families were filing through in numbers. Students and their parents dragged trunks and crates galore out onto the pavement and hefted them up stairwells in virtually every dorm. The Yard and Union area buzzed with the huffing and puffing of first-years moving in en masse.

"They've got to build an elevator," said Theodore L. Hunt '95, as he made yet another trip to the fourth floor of Matthews Hall.

Hunt's complaint was echoed by others who had to carry their luggage up several flights of stairs. "I can't believe it's on the fourth floor," said Keltie L. Hays '95, as she trekked up to her Grays Hall room for the first time. "I guess we'll get in shape."

For Sarah A. Bianchi '95, the problem was not the flights of stairs, but moving her luggage from storage to her dorm. "According to the Science Center, I have the most boxes over there," she said, with some embarrassment. "My parents aren't coming here so we mailed everything up."

Reactions to the rooms themselves varied from the ecstatic to the blase. "I bow on my knees to this room," said Litt, as she surveyed her Wigglesworth Hall suite for the first time. Then, pulling out a pair of binoculars from her suitcase, she said, "I heard Wigg was right off Mass Ave., so I brought these to people-watch."

Matthews Hall resident Timothy E. Codrington '95 greeted his suite with a simple "Ooh. Nice."

Others, however, had more mundane concerns in mind. "Get rid of the bunk beds," Tanya E. Kean '95 said. "I know I'm going to fall off in the middle of the night," she added. In a similar vein, Donald D. Lewis '95 said, "I tried to take a hot shower but there was no hot water. We need hot water."

But Tanya V. Bezreh '95, who had just returned from the First-year Outdoor Program (FOP) trip, found the dorm rooms quite satisfactory. "After FOP, you appreciate your dorm room because you actually have clean toilets," she said.

Several first-years referred to the history of the rooms they will now occupy. Eli A. Silver '95, claiming that writer Henry David Thoreau had lived in Hollis Hall as an undergraduate, wondered aloud if he could charge admission if Thoreau's room turned out to be his own.

His friend, Will Posten '95, did not have such grand plans, however. "People have been telling me a psycho lived in my room a few years ago," he said.

As the day wore on and the initial bustle of unloading cars died down, many first-years found themselves waiting for their roommates to arrive so they could split living space.

"I feel bad staking any claims--we'll have to wait until everyone gets here," said Quemby E. Iandiorio '95. "But I already know what I want. This desk, that bed."

Decorating common rooms could not really get under way either without room-mates around, as Minna J. Hahn '95 soon found. "My roommate's bringing a couch, and I have chairs," Hahn said. "But I'm afraid everything's going to clash."

Other first-years had put varying degrees of thought into how they would furnish their suites. Marion B. Gammill '95 was in the furniture section of the Harvard Coop on Friday afternoon with her mother. "I need a stand for my printer that I can put together without a craftsman's degree," she said. "I might buy a bean bag, too. My roommates and I are bringing a refrigerator, TV and VCR from home."

On the other hand, Murray A. Rabinowitz '95 seemed too busy carrying his computer up the stairs to consider aesthetic arrangements. Asked about his decor plans, Rabinowitz said, "Pink flowers. Not."

Practical Ideas

More practical ideas came from Thayer Hall roommates Carlyle I. Lincoln '95 and Josh D. Liston '95. "We need a couch," Liston said. "We've heard that the yard sales around Cambridge are probably the best deals." On a more whimsical note, the two wondered if the strips of wood on Thayer walls would support a swinging hammock.

As the day slowly mellowed from the initial morning move-in chaos, immediate concerns about rooms and luggage and furniture took a back seat as first-years began congregating on their entryway steps.

"You can tell who the kids are because we're all like 'agghhh,'" said Anna C. Volinkaty '95.

"I'm relieved to finally be here," Codrington said. "I had two weeks to waste before coming here, when everyone else was already starting at their schools. I'm glad I'm here now."

By 4 p.m., a frisbee game picked up on the lawn in front of Matthews. The Class of 1995 had finally moved in.

Many upperclass students, as well as first-years, moved into their rooms on Friday. At top-left, Ming Yo Tsai '93 of Eliot House, brings a full-length mirror into the new DeWolfe St. dorm. At top-right, Lawrence E. Tanz '92, a senior, carries his sofa into Lowell House. At bottom-left, Vincent P. Fiorino '95 signs in, while Sean C. Casey '95 finds his room key to the Yard.