But Lewis says that his image of the house system, as outlined by President A. Lawrence Lowell in the 1930s, is that each dorm should be reflective of a cross-section of student life.

"The philosophy underlying the House system since its inception [is that] there was educational merit for all students in living in the same community with other talented students with different backgrounds and interests," says Lewis.

But black students say Lewis' vision is overly-idealistic and does not capture the realities of student life in the 1990s.

"All this idealistic thinking about so-called diversity [is imagined]. Look at what happened in Mather House last week," says Okasi, referring to the discovery of racist graffiti on a Mather House elevator last month.

Albert H. Khine '97, who is co-president of the Minority Students Alliance (MSA), says that the problems faced by blacks may apply to a number of other minority groups as well.

"There are houses at Harvard that are primarily one race," says Khine, who is a Crimson editor. "The issue of wanting acceptance doesn't just apply to African-Americans it affects every group."

But Sewell Chan '98, the president of Asian American Association, says that randomization will not significantly affect the Asian-American community.

"Because there are so many Asian Americans at Harvard, I don't think that housing randomization will make it significantly more difficult for us to find other Asian Americans to meet and socialize with," says Chan, who is a Crimson editor.

One effect of randomization, minority students say, will be that membership in organizations like the MSA and the BSA will increase as students begin to feel alienated by the character of their houses.

"It will strengthen all student organizations," says Sheila M. Swaroop '97, co-president of the MSA. "If you are in a jock house and you are not a jock, you are more likely to join something you are interested in outside of the house."

But Swaroop adds that student organizations like MSA cannot replace what will be lost with the dissolution of house character.

"This further increases the need for a minority student center," says Swaroop. "We see the center as a place for students from different ethnic groups to meet and work together, a place to hang out."

Khine says that students may seek off-campus outlets if they are not pleased with their house's community.

"People might seek other avenues to find a place that they're comfortable, like fraternities and sororities and other off-campus organizations," says Khine.

Alternative Living