Stefanie L. Botelho ’07 makes a shoebox boat to launch on the Charles River with the names of her preferred River Houses, such as Adams, written on it.

A flaming pink and green shoebox plummeted from the Weeks Footbridge into a dark Charles River, flipping over and sinking. “Mather, it is,” reverberated across the river bank from the middle of the bridge.

The blocking group from Canaday lamented its fate as it watched its housing prospects sink along with its makeshift boat. These six females, like many other first-years last night, were participating in a pre-housing ritual in hopes of skewing the Freshman Lottery, which assigns upperclass housing to first-years, in their favor.

“Everyone jokes about the fact that they have microphones everywhere and if you say that you want to be there they’ll put you in that House,” Sarah C. Duncan ’07, from the Canaday blocking group, said.

Over the past several weeks, many of the first-years have banded together to form blocking groups of up to eight people. And early this morning, first-years found out in which House they would spend the next three years of their College lives.

Former Dean of the College Harry R. Lewis ’68 randomized housing in 1995. And with the exception of students with disabilities and rare interventions from the Freshman Dean’s Office, the College maintains the housing process is entirely random.

But last night, despite assurances from administrators about randomization, first-years were still hoping to influence their housing assignments as a mix of blocking groups not only launched shoebox boats, but also built gingerbread houses, downed shots in House courtyards and bonded with each other.

CANADAY C-AENEID

Duncan and her five blockmates were accompanied to the Charles by the Canaday C prefects, Jordan D. Scopa ’04 and Kanoe M. Lum ’05. Scopa dubbed the shoebox boat launch “Canaday C-Aeneid”—and like Aeneas these first-years were in search of a favorable new home last night.

After dropping their boat, the group—which also includes Stefanie L. Botelho ’07, Julia M. Chandler ’07, Gayatri S. Datar ’07, Maura A. Graul ’07 and Kathleen E. Walro ’07—retreated back to the Yard to snack on “ice cream, candy, nachos, junk and fattening food” and watch episodes of “Sex and the City” and “Friends.”

Like all first-years, the six females officially entered the lottery last week, signing up on the Undergraduate Housing Office’s website.

But the process of blocking wasn’t easy for them as original groupings disintegrated and new ones formed to take their place. Duncan said she was forced to find new blockmates after her first blocking group fell apart, leaving just her and one other friend.

“After that we were looking for other people and we linked up with a friend, who had another friend who we didn’t know. One of the three of us had another friend who joined the group,” said Duncan, explaining how she ended up blocking with two first-years she didn’t know.

“All in all it could be a bad process, but now I love my blocking group,” Duncan said.

At the top of their housing wishlist last night was Adams House, although the others rejected this choice because of its decentralized layout. But they all feared being Quaded.

“I know I don’t want to be in the Quad,” said Botelho. “I’m not organized enough to use the shuttle.”