Former Dean of Harvard College Harry R. Lewis ’68 has often professed a love of his alma mater’s time-honored traditions—but that love apparently could not deter Lewis from unexpectedly snatching away one of the College’s most treasured perks: the use of fireplaces in undergraduate dorm rooms.

For decades, working fireplaces have added an undeniable charm to the older rooms on campus. Some of Harvard’s greatest minds have studied, argued and partied in front of their flames during Cambridge’s long, icy winters. Even guidebooks for applicants tout Harvard’s working, polished-wood fireplaces. The bright, crackling logs connect current Harvard students to the University’s past in a way John Harvard’s statue cannot.

But their cachet is not the only thing that should save fireplaces in Harvard’s Houses. There’s also no good reason to prohibit students from safely lighting fires in their rooms. Other than a few false fire alarms, there haven’t been any major incidents involving student fireplaces in years. Furthermore, tutors—who are often only a few years older than the undergraduates they supervise—still retain the right to use the fireplaces in their suites. The administration, apparently, assumes that fires lit by law school students aren’t going to burn down dorms, or that undergraduates just can’t be trusted.

Instead of clamping down on students lighting a fire for a mid-December holiday party, Dean of the College Benedict H. Gross ’71 should reverse this insulting and unnecessary decision. The College should do what it did in the past—make sure that students are using the proper equipment, such as firescreens and pokers, to enjoy their fireplaces safely and responsibly.

It seems unlikely, however, that the administration will change its mind. Americans have become so litigious and safety-obsessed that University Hall apparently now feels compelled to water down the already diminishing uniqueness of the Harvard experience. Lewis, once a Harvard undergraduate, should have known better.

Dissent: Liability Necessitates Ban

If a student were injured or killed because of irresponsible fireplace use, the University would be sued. The administration is merely being sensible in weighing the occasional enjoyment of a portion of its students against its huge liability in case of an accident. The staff, while acknowledging this risk, doesn’t seem to take it to heart.

—Andrew P. Winerman ’04