To the editor:

The annual debate over the precise geographic location of the Quad seems to be in full force. In her thought provoking article published in The Crimson (Opinion, March 31), Lynn Y. Lee '99 claims that the Quad is not in Timbuktu.

I believe it is useful to take a step back and examine the facts:

-The Quad is extremely far away. Whether measured in miles or cubits it is a long way to the Quad.

-Some have subscribed to the faulty train of logic that because the Quad is nice it is not in Timbuktu. Yale may also be nice but that doesn't necessarily mean it is in close proximity to the Harvard Yard.

-In her article Lee makes the absurd argument that the River Houses are inferior to the Quad Houses because they are infested with centipedes, ivy-covered brick, white moldings, fireplaces and winding stairs. I for one like centipedes. They help to build character.

-Trin Mitra '96 and others have claimed that in the Quad, "the TV reception is significantly better." While the reasoning that television reception could not possibly be clear in a location as remote as Timbuktu is sound, there is absolutely no scientific evidence to support her claims, and furthermore, back here in society we have a little thing called DSS.

We can argue over the relative quality of rooms, the availability of quality television programming, and the scholastic importance of centipedes until next year's lottery rolls around, but in the final analysis only one thing is clear: the Quad is extremely far away. The proverbial Timbuktu is also far away and the Quad is in it. FRANK E. PACHECO '99   March 31, 1998