On the morning of March 20, large numbers of first-year students began crying, screaming and cursing the administration when they found out their worst nightmare had come true: They had been quadded.

First-year Ilyana M. Kuziemko '00 got together with her entire blocking group to open the long-awaited envelope. When she found out she had been placed in Currier House, she was extremely upset.

"Currier was the place we dreaded to be," Kuziemko says. "It's just so far away. I thought the person who read the letter was kidding."

Kuziemko's feelings are shared by many quadded first-years who fear the tremendous hike to the Quad.

Jennifer E. Hoffman '00, who was placed in Pforzheimer House, is particularly concerned about the distance because she is on the crew team, and Pforzheimer is the farthest house from the boathouse.

"I don't think I'll be able to spend any time there," Hoffman says. According to Hoffman, there is only one girl on the crew team who currently lives in the Quad. Everyone else transferred after their first year.

Yet the thousand-odd yards that separate the Yard and Quad are not the only reason that so many first-years fear the far-out dorms. Another complaint about being quadded is that the area lacks a college atmosphere.

"You don't really feel like you're at Harvard anymore," says Jessica M. Kaye '00, who was assigned to Currier House. "You imagine Harvard life to be river houses and old collegiate-looking buildings. Currier seems very removed."

Nevertheless, not all first-years were disappointed when they found out they had been quadded.

"I was extremely happy for a number of reasons," says Aric A. Christal '00, who will be living in Pforzheimer. "While it's sort of far away, it offers a lot in the way of quietness. The Radcliffe Yard area is enclosed and very peaceful."

Christal is looking forward to the quiet Quad after living in Wigglesworth, which he says gets rather noisy.

Christal is also looking forward to living in the Quad because of its personal, community-like nature.

"When you get down towards the river, the houses are segregated," Christal says. "You have to cross streets and worry about traffic. The Quad is almost like its own entity."

Alexander T. Maskin '00, who will be living in Cabot, is also very glad about his housing assignment.

"I think it has the nicest rooms in Harvard," Maskin says. "The Quad is aesthetically pleasing...I'm very pleased with the dining."