"I think some people might be selfish with their time or they have roommates who don't want to be bothered," said Nicole K. Sherwood '00, who enjoyed her prefrosh visit last year and plans to host next week-end.

"I really appreciate the fact that someone took the time out to host me, and I wanted to do the same," she said.

Kovacevich said that UAC is trying to drum up more hosts through e-mails, news group postings and simple word-of-mouth.

"I'm pretty confident that we'll get the hosts that we need," he said.

Last-Minute Scramble

But while Chang and her staff may ultimately succeed in securing enough spots, the last-minute scramble often results in prefrosh staying in the Quad or with unenthusiastic hosts.

"At first I thought it was cool to be with upperclassmen," said Dave A. Tortorella '00, who stayed with juniors in the Quad last year. "But I felt distanced from prefrosh activities. A lot of the prefrosh were hanging out in the Square, and it was a huge trek for me to go back to my room every night."

But Chang stressed that location isn't everything.

"If they have a host who is enthusiastic, they might end up having a better time in Currier House than someone who stayed someplace like Grays," Chang said.

But Tortorella said many hosts lack the crucial enthusiasm.

"I understand that they need more hosts, but it seems more important that they get interested hosts," said Tortorella, who agreed to host a prefrosh in light of his less-than-satisfying prefrosh experience. "The general theme shouldn't be: get-rid-of-your-prefrosh-as-fast-as-you-can."

But Chang said to remember every host has a different hosting attitude and strategy.

"Some think that if they host a couple of prefrosh, they can have a buddy for the weekend," Chang said. "It's important for the hosts to be enthusiastic and welcoming, but there's a difference between that and being hand-holding."

Instead, Chang said that once prefrosh find their hosts, the nature of the rest of the weekend depends on the prefrosh themselves.

"So much of the weekend depends on the prefrosh taking the initiative to experience Harvard," Chang said. "We'll get enough hosts, but the toughest part about prefrosh weekend is making sure that everyone is having a good time."

Students interested in hosting can e-mail:

college@fas.harvard.edu, including their name, room and mailing addresses, phone number, number of prefrosh desired, and whether or not they smoke