Reading period--the mere mention of the phrase conjures up images of pre-med students bent over chemistry texts in Cabot Library cubicles, seniors' tanning in the MAC Quad and first-years sprinting across the Yard at 4:53 p.m. to hand in that last Expos paper.

For many students, the academic experience of Harvard is encapsulated during reading period, when students immerse themselves in their classwork and term papers.

Since its inception in 1927, reading period has stood for more than somber study and tradition. As Dean of Students Archie C. Epps III notes, the system of a one week study period preceding exams was begun at Oxford and Cambridge Universities and later adopted by Harvard.

According to Associate Dean of the College Georgene B. Herschbach, reading period has varied from nine to 14 days over the years, until it was recently standardized to one week.

"It originated in the shifting of emphasis from attending classes to reading and absorbing the information," Epps says.

Although classes do not traditionally continue into reading period, review sessions and language sections often hold special meetings during the week.

Epps notes that recent changes expanding the shuttle services' hours of operation and adding a 24-hour library also extend College resources for students in need of extra study time.

Graduating seniors say that reading period has contributed substantially to their academic experience.

"It's been very helpful to me, especially freshman year when I took an advanced math course. Since then, I've mainly used the time to complete term papers," says Charles A. Goodman '97.

"I would never want to abolish reading period because it's a great time to relax," says Maria E. Gonzalez '97. Gonzalez notes that many houses hold study breaks throughout the week, offering house-bound students a chance to relax and mingle with peers.

Campus Atmosphere

At Harvard, student attitudes toward reading period have tended somewhere between relaxation and cramming fatigue.

For those who choose to cram, finding study space in campus libraries is often a challenge. The advent of a 24-hour schedule at Cabot library may alleviate some crowding into prime study hours, but library stake-outs seem a tradition destined to persist.

Lynn M. Sanborne '79 says that during her college years students would often deposit belongings in library nooks and vigorously defend their desks.

"They would camp out in the library and really junk up on caffeine," Sanborne says. "People would stake out their table in Hilles and get really territorial. Then I would become envious of those who got the really nice tables and they would have to defend them."