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Last month, Harvard announced it was moving Housing Day, the annual tradition which sees upperclassmen take over the Yard and storm first-year dorms to announce housing assignments. Now, instead of the Thursday before spring break, upperclassmen in varying states of sleep deprivation and inebriation will storm dorms on the Friday after.

The tradition has long been a source of excitement and anticipation for students, in part because many take it as a chance to kick off the break early. It’s no surprise then that some students were hostile. One student even remarked that the change “shattered” his heart.

I don’t share those feelings. The importance of Housing Day isn’t the exact day of the week on which it falls, but the fact that it happens in the first place. Instead of lamenting the loss of a random Thursday before spring break, students should welcome the change.

For years, one of the largest student gripes about Housing Day has been the misfortune of having a midterm on the day. Spring break provides a convenient gap in the semester, offering the perfect time for a midterm. Despite the inconvenience, some professors refuse to bow to student pressure to move the date of their exams.

Understandably, having a midterm on Housing Day is one of the easiest ways to ensure that the night before housing day is spent in a library instead of participating in River Run (the Housing-Day-eve tradition during which freshmen take a shot of alcohol in each River House to appease the “River Gods” and thus avoid being “quadded”). While I have never missed a River Run to study for a pre-break midterm, it’s not hard to find a Harvard student who has.

Under the new system, midterm exams before spring break might still inspire dread but at least they won’t ruin housing day festivities. Upperclassmen and first-years alike can enjoy the day with the knowledge that midterms likely won’t interfere (or at least they’ll have Spring break to prepare).

With midterms less likely to compete for students’ attention, more people can fully take part in the festivities. The shift could reinvigorate campus culture, ensuring Housing Day is a true campus-wide celebration instead of a stressful mid-semester balancing act.

The other and more pronounced benefit of the change is the move to a Friday. Normally, Housing Day takes place on a Thursday, an awkward middle of the week day, keeping students up late on Wednesday for River Run followed by an anticlimactic Friday.

Friday makes much more sense for a College-wide celebration, especially when one of the most important parts of that celebration is waking up in the early morning hours of the day. Students can “River Run” to their hearts’ content on Thursday night, wake up early to learn their housing fate, and then continue that joy into the weekend, celebrating with their new housemates.

Further, students who prefer to leave earlier for their Spring Break no longer need to compromise between cutting a trip short and staying for housing day. In short, this change allows students to have their cake and eat it, too.

Instead of lamenting every change the administration tries to make, Harvard students should recognize when the change actually benefits everybody. Professors no longer need to fear students showing up hungover and sleep deprived for their pre-break midterms. Students can enjoy Housing Day as the beginning of what is essentially a three day weekend, all while being able to take full advantage of the time set aside for Spring break.

College overreach into student traditions and life is a real issue. Like the Editorial Board, I’ve criticized the University for seemingly taking the fun out of various aspects of College life.

But for once, this action should be celebrated. The move helps us be better students, better housemates, and fully appreciate this beloved tradition.

Mac M. Mertens ’26, a Crimson Editorial editor, is a Classics and History double concentrator in Mather House