Sunlight filters in through the large windows, reflecting off the empty wooden tables. A few students, sitting alone, stare outside or read quietly as they eat.

The Freshman Union, normally one of the noisiest and most crowded places at Harvard, is very different at 7:30 a.m.

Each morning, about 15 students trickle into the first-year dining hall, looking for warm food and a rare oasis of peace and quiet in a stressful day.

"I'm usually here," says Mercedes F. Pared '98. "It's so quiet. Nobody's here. It's nice to have no one around you."

At the Union and other dining halls, the early morning students are mostly regulars, forming a "breakfast club" of solitary eaters.

People can roam around the Union serving area gathering various portions of breakfast without worrying about smashing into fellow diners. At 7:30, the top row of holders still has plenty of glasses, a rare bounty for the Union.

The long tables are mostly empty, and an air of calm, fills the room. Newspapers, textbooks and notebooks fill table space that is usually packed tray-to-tray later in the day.

Clothes-wise, anything goes at early morning breakfast. Some people sport ties and neatly-combed hair, others wear sweats and ponytails with scrunchies. Some people have gotten up early, others, with slightly glazed-over expressions, haven't been to bed.

Union checker Lorena Vicente says she recognizes "most of the people. Every year it's the same." She turns away to swipe a student's card, greeting the undergraduate by name.

If the "breakfast club" did have a president, it might be Annabel L. Bradford '98. Many students point her out as someone who's "always here." She says breakfast attendees vary.

"It's kind of irregular. A lot of people get up if they need to study," Bradford says. "It's the three meals a day type thing. If you don't get up, you miss the morning."

While most members of the breakfast club sit alone, a few groups of two or three students are scattered throughout the Union.

"Everyone sits by themselves and reads," says Jenny S. Lin '98. "Sometimes there'll be one person at every table."

Fellow first-year Tine V. Katopodes smiles mischievously. "Sometimes a group comes in and we can all listen to their conversation."

Other Chapters

The early morning breakfast club has more than one chapter. In fact, each house hosts its own regulars, and each offers a slightly different atmosphere.