While the mass of undergraduates wishing to catch a glimpse of naked classmates grace the Yard during Primal Scream, students stuck studying in Lamont Library can still get their share of nudity.

As the clock strikes midnight on the last night of reading period each semester, several students of the Dudley Co-op strip off various articles of clothing in Lamont. They proceed to study dressed solely in underwear—just one of the many little-known traditions of the Dudley Co-op and its residents.

The Dudley Co-op is part of Dudley House, a community made up of both students from the Graduate School of Arts and Sciences and about 70 undergraduate students living either in the Dudley Co-op or off-campus. Students who move off-campus can choose to join Dudley House rather than remaining affiliated with their original House.

“It is the best house in the system,” Associate Dean of the College and Allston Burr Senior Tutor in Dudley House Thomas A. Dingman ’67 says. “I don’t know another part of Harvard where there’s the same element of mutual support.”

While Dudley House does not house all affiliated students, 32 of its undergraduates live in the Dudley Co-op—which is classified as on-campus housing but maintains a greater element of independence and individuality.

LIVING LIFE IN THE DUDLEY CO-OP

Above the door of the Dudley Co-op hangs a sign reading, “Center for High-Energy Meta-Physics.” This nickname, playing off the initials HEMP, encompasses the laid-back attitude and free spirit that characterizes the Dudley Co-op and its members.

The Dudley Co-op consists of two Victorian houses 10 minutes away from Harvard Yard, located at 1705 Mass. Ave. and 3 Sacramento St. Most residents live in singles and each house has its own resident tutor.

Dingman describes Co-op inhabitants as “people looking for less of an institutional feel.” And with the Co-op’s home-prepared food and shared chores, residents value the community atmosphere.

A different member of the Co-op cooks a communal dinner each evening, and other chores such as cleaning are performed by the undergraduates.

Generally each student works for about one to two hours per week, in a points system that awards different amounts for varying tasks.

Another incentive for living in the Co-op is the cost of room and board, which is only half as much as in other residential houses and can save residents as much as $3,000 a year, according to the Co-op’s website. Members of the Co-op get other bonuses such as free laundry and free parking and residents in the Mass. Ave. house are also allowed to keep pets.

Members praise the Co-op for giving them individual attention that some complain is often lacking in the other 12 Houses.

DEALING WITH DUDLEY DRAWBACKS

For students living in the Co-op, distance can be difficult, especially during the harsh Boston winters. Harvard’s regular shuttle services does not run to the Co-op and though students can call the Harvard van service, there is often a long wait.