University President Neil L. Rudenstine attended a dinner in Eliot House last night where he fielded questions on topics ranging from grade inflation, faculty size and the role of university presidents.

Sitting beneath a portrait of former President Charles W. Eliot, class of 1853, Rudenstine and his wife Angelica Zander Rudenstine dined with members of the House, while being serenaded by a student string quartet.

After a brief introduction by House Co-Master Lino Pertile, Rudenstine began by addressing House life on campus, speaking about his time as a graduate student and a junior faculty member at Harvard. "The Houses have been incredibly important to me in my Harvard years,"Rudenstine said, describing how his first office at Harvard was in Adams House, where he taught undergraduate English tutorials.

He praised the House system as a way to bind the undergraduate community together.

"For me, the House system is one of the secret weapons of Harvard," Rudenstine said. "Its really hard to appreciate if you haven't had it and its wonderful if you have had it."

When Rudenstine opened the floor to questions, students continued the discussion on House life, questioning the affects of randomization, as well as the poor interaction between faculty members and the Houses.

Rudenstine said that since randomization was only instituted in the last six years, it is hard to say what effect it has had. And he said structural issues, such as professors having to be near their offices, keep them from being involved in House life.

But Rudenstine said the next years under his successor will focus on improving the Houses. His own tenure has been marked by improvements for first years, such as dorm renovations and the building of Annenberg Dining Hall.