"It's very diverse and it doesn't have the same artsy character it did before," Lara says, "but it still has a lot of funky people."

"Adams definitely has the best dining hall," Kelley notes.

But rumor has it that the permanent denizens of Harvard's cutting edge have relocated, culinary quality notwithstanding (after all, anyone can eat interhouse in Adams).

The new home of the College cultural elite, "Adams without the angst" according to the house t-shirts, is just a short walk down to the river.

Donahue moved into Dunster this fall, lured by "the best parties I went to all freshman year."

He knew the Dunster reputation: "You know, Birkenstock-wearing, long hair, as much of a hippie house as you can expect to get at Harvard. It seemed pretty mellow. I thought it would be a good environment."

But instead of the Greenpeace crowd, he found large numbers of students interested in the arts. "There aren't a lot of granola-eating environmentalists around here," he says. "It's more of an Adams crowd."

Some Dunster residents argue that this apparent change in character isn't a change at all, rather a new influx of interest in a longtime house activity.

"Dunster has always been strong in the arts, but it has been overshadowed by Adams in the past," says Dunster House Committee co-chair Victor Chiu '95.

Although newcomers may perceive changes, Chiu says, Dunster has retained its own identity. "I don't think anyone inside Dunster house would say we are becoming what Adams used to be.

"I don't think Dunster House residents would like to be classified as artsy, or to be classified at all."