"People tend to meet other people only in class, or section, or extracurriculars. or through friends," says McBee.

In McBee's case, section proved rewarding: The Quincy House resident met her boyfriend when, after noticing her in a Foreign Cultures class, he switched into her section in order to meet her.

Harvard's co-ed housing system also is a gold mine of opportunities for establishing a relationship, others say.

Living in such close quarters demystifies the opposite sex, says Leverett House resident tutor Ray J. LaRaja '87. "Just that simple interaction of plopping your tray down and talking to someone of the opposite sex after class in a non-threatening atmosphere" sets up a more comfortable dynamic between men and women, he says.

Once a relationship has been established, the house system can also help maintain it.

"The housing here at Harvard contributes to a pretty hassle-free relationship," says James D. Coady '92. At other schools, such as Boston University, he notes, restricted visiting hours for guests of the opposite sex can hamper a relationship "My friend at B.U. goes crazy," says the Mather House resident.

The house system "cements" relationships, say Ray and Taryn LaRaja '88. The two met through Leverett House public service projects when they were undergraduates. Now, they are married.

Once someone asks someone else out, says Ray, "Word gets out very quickly in the houses system. You're off limits."

Yet some houses may not be open to people who are not heterosexual, says Sandi L. DuBowski '92, co-chair of the Bisexual, Gay and Lesbian Student Association."

"The housing system probably allows people to be out only in certain environments here," DuBowski says. "You have a lot of people who are really closeted."

In fact, says the Dunster House resident, sometimes extracurriculars provide a more comfortable atmosphere for homesexuals than the house sys- tem. "Sometimes I joke that the way to be gayat Harvard is to stay closeted and join a finalclub, the Hasty Pudding [Club] or a singinggroup," he says.

"There aren't too many spaces to meet people ifyou are gay, lesbian or bi. I just wish there weremore avenues." DuBowski says.

Nto only does Harvard lag behind in thesocial scene, but the school also offers little inthe area of sex, some students say, According toFishman, the most exciting sex is enjoyedelsewhere. "The people who have the most frequentand varied sex that I know go to other schools,"the Leverett House resident says.

"I think sex between Harvard students usuallyonly comes in serious relationships. The one-nightstand thing doesn't usually happen at Harvard.That's at other schools." he continues, addingthat "I think Harvard students may be somewhatmore sexually inhibited."

Mindich says Harvard is known for its 'smartpeople,' not its promiscuous students. "There areprobably a lot more virgins who graduate fromHarvard than any other place," Mindich asserts.