"As a member of a minority community on campuswhose numbers are less than eight percent of theCollege, it's often difficult to have my voiceheard," Ford said.

Ford said he recently met with one of the firstBlack alumni of the college. When that man washere, there were three Black students on campus,himself included. The other two were the man'sroommates.

"Is it really fair to rob me of my experienceas an African-American so that Blacks can besprinkled around this campus?" Ford asked. "No!"the crowd responded.

"They say Mather and Kirkland have too manyathletes, but listen--athletes are people too,"Ford said.

Drake pointed out that even if athletes,artists and members of minority groups are spreadout across the campus as a result ofrandomization, there is no guarantee thatdifferent groups will interact with each other.Drake is director of the Civil Liberties Union ofHarvard, but was not speaking on behalf of theorganization.

"Friendship is not random," Drake said. "Commonbathrooms and shared hallways do not make closefriends."

She also said students should have a right tochoose where they live, a feeling all of thespeakers echoed.

"We're in college. We go to Harvard," Drakesaid. "We're supposed to be the leaders oftomorrow, but apparently we're too stupid tochoose where we want to live."

Yee said he spoke on behalf of the gay, lesbianand bisexual community at Harvard. Currently,Adams and Dunster house the largest number ofthose individuals, he said.

"[Randomization] would be like taking all thegays and lesbians in San Francisco and New Yorkand relocating them in even numbers throughout theUnited States," Yee said. "This would be at theexpense of the vibrant gay adult community in NewYork and San Francisco today. That's how I thinkof Adams and Dunster," Yee said.

Munger estimated that roughly half of thestudents at the protest live in Adams House orDunster House.

Jewett delayed his decision for weeks in orderto squelch protest, Feldman said. "It's not anaccident that he has made this decision the lastfew weeks of school."

Jewett has said he waited to make the decisionin order to give everyone who wanted to discussthe issue a fair hearing.

Munger focused on the loss of community he saidrandomization will bring.

"There will be no 'sharing of experience' in arandomized system," Munger said. "We don't havethe resources or the luxury to throw away the lastvestige of community that exists on this campus."