"If the young men entering college were allowed to choose their Houses, those coming from the same school, or from schools of the same type and from similar early surroundings, would naturally select the same House; and thus there would be a segregation among the Houses on the basis of origin--certainly a most unfortunate one," wrote President A. Lawrence Lowell, Class of 1877, in his annual report in 1928.

Nearly 70 years later, then Dean of the College L. Fred Jewett '57 justified his decision to randomize housing for first-years on the same grounds.

Implemented this year, randomization sparked student opposition as soon as it was announced. Undergraduates denounced the plan, saying that it would simply result in conflict and the destruction of house character, rather than broadening students' social experiences.

While the University has always been concerned with integration in one form or another, Lowell's vision of each house as a microcosm of the College where students of all backgrounds will interact has not been fulfilled until this year.

How effective randomization will be in achieving this goal, however, remains to be seen.

The House Rules

When Lowell became president in 1909, wealthier students chose to live in private dormitories along the so-called "Gold Coast" of Mount Auburn Street. Rooms cost around $300 for a single and $500 for a double, while College housing cost less than $100, essentially dividing the student population along socioeconomic lines.

To encourage exchange between students from different backgrounds, Lowell made all first-years move to on-campus housing in 1912, driving the "Gold Coast" dorms out of business.

In 1930, Lowell sought further to ease class tensions by adopting a housing system similar to that at the English universities of Oxford and Cambridge.

From 1912 to 1931 the College bought up real estate around the Square and along the river and constructed dormitories that would later constitute parts of Winthrop, Leverett and Kirkland Houses.

In the fall of 1928, Edward S. Harkness, a graduate of Yale, offered to give more than $13 million toward the construction of Lowell's longdesired residential houses. Harkness had first approached his own alma mater in New Haven, but did not receive a suitably enthusiastic response until he approached Lowell.

Using the funds provided by Harkness, the College built Dunster, Eliot and Lowell Houses in 1930, and created Adams, Kirkland, Leverett and Winthrop from existing dorms in 1931.

But Lowell's original dream was never fully realized, because administrators have been tinkering with the house system ever since.

Prior to 1971, masters picked future residents of their respective houses through an application process. A year later, however, the College moved to a system in which students ranked all 12 houses in order of preference, and in 1977, the number of ranked Houses was reduced to four. Starting in 1990, a non-ordered choice system was implemented under which the four houses could not be ranked. That system remained unchanged until last year.

Lewis: Playing His Hand