And Former Dean of the College L. Fred Jewett '57 says that it is impossible for the deano have any substantial effect on the SCR's relationship to the House.

"Ideally we hope the SCR will be involved and active in the House," he says. "It has to be worked on within the House, it's not something the dean [of the College] can have a great impact on.

"New Adams House Co-Masters Judith S. and John G. "Sean" Palfrey have sought to fill their SCR with active members and asked inactive ones to step down.

"We have a variety of things we'd like to do," Judith Palfrey '67 says. "We want to ask more active SCR [members] to take on sophomore advising." Lowell House, however, has been the most successful in clarifying the role of the SCR in House over the last two years, in part because Co-Masters Diana L. Eck and Dorothy A. Austin have made it their priority.

"We make a special effort to have every one of our students hooked up with one member of the SCR, usually someone who shares some of the same interests," Eck says. In addition, Eck says, they have removed inactive SCR members and stressed the importance of members' eating in the House on a regular basis.

"It's the most important non-class time that students have to relate to faculty members," she says. "[Professor of Mathematics] Noam D. Elkies is here for meals twice a day.

"Lowell House residents say having a more active SCR benefits both students and faculty.

"We have an annual [junior common room] vs. SCR trivia tournament, pool/foosball/Ping-Pong tournament and tug-o-war tournament," says Lowell House Committee Co-Chair Kyle D. Hawkins '02, who is also a Crimson editor. "I know that a lot of people in the JCR are friends with SCR members.

"For his part, Associate Dean of the College David P. Illingworth '71 says an improved relationship will come with hard work.

"All of the masters are really trying, but they have to be creative," he says.