Down home

June 25, 2013

4 min read

House life is a culture

Living on campus at Harvard is way more than just a dorm room, a few roommates, and a cafeteria — it’s a culture. From the Dudley Co-op, where students do their own cooking, cleaning, and food shopping, to Mather House, which offers residents a creative outlet with its in-house wood-turning studio, House life is a vibrant experience in which undergraduates learn from and mingle with other students, tutors, House masters — and their families — from sophomore year until graduation.

A student is eclipsed by a box while moving out from old Quincy House. Kris Snibbe/Harvard Staff Photographer

With light pouring through slats inside Quincy House, Kyle Rawding ’14 uses his laptop to study. Kris Snibbe/Harvard Staff Photographer

Rhodes Scholars from Quincy House, Benjamin B.H. Wilcox ’13 (from left), Julian B. Gewirtz ’13, Aidan C. de B. Daly ’13, House Co-Master Deb Gehrke, and Nina M. Yancy ’13 are pictured reflected in the House elevator ceiling on their way up to the sixth floor, where the students all resided. Kris Snibbe/Harvard Staff Photographer

English concentrator Charlotte Lieberman ’13 was a resident at the Dudley House Co-op. Her room was decorated with books, posters, and album covers — a “strange mix of things that are sentimental and things that are kind of cheeky.” At her desk was where she wrote poetry before going to sleep. Stephanie Mitchell/Harvard Staff Photographer

Linguistics concentrator Parker Crane ’13 called Cambridge his hometown and the Dudley Co-op his residence. He enjoyed the indirect sunshine that bounced off the front porch and gave his room “nice atmospheric light without it being too harsh at any point of the day.” Stephanie Mitchell/Harvard Staff Photographer

Malik Knox ’13, a sociology concentrator from Baltimore, loved having a lot of space in his room for friends to visit. Speaking about the community at the Dudley Co-op, he said, “I love the people here. Everyone is on the same page about being part of a community. We are all different in many ways. We all have each other’s back. I feel like I can be myself here.” Stephanie Mitchell/Harvard Staff Photographer

John Aloian ’13, an organismic and evolutionary biology concentrator, favored the slanted ceiling in his room at the Dudley Co-op. The sound of rain hitting the roof above him made him feel as though he were camping, in a tent, or high up in a canopy. Stephanie Mitchell/Harvard Staff Photographer

A window in the room of Devi K. Lockwood ’14 at the Dudley Co-op looks out onto a storefront roof. “Whenever it rains, which is frequently around here, you get this puddle for a couple of days on top of the rooftop, and the puddle reflects the sky. I like to write lying on my stomach looking out of that window. The light is really beautiful and it makes me feel connected to water, even though I’m far away from it. As a rower, I’m obsessed with water.” Stephanie Mitchell/Harvard Staff Photographer

Stephen Mackereth ’15 of Mather House practices his wood-turning techniques in Mather House’s wood-turning studio during an introductory class taught by artist Alan Hark. According to Hark, this is the only wood-turning class in the Ivy League. Photo by Scott Eisen

Dining Services employee Anabela Pappas (from left) brings baklava to the dessert table at the Annual Greekfest at Pforzheimer House, and pauses to speak with House Administrator Sue Watts. Rose Lincoln/Harvard Staff Photographer

Resident Tutor Marie Dach (from left) watches her 1-year-old, Owen, being entertained by Yi-Jou Chiang during “PfoHo Fridays,” a weekly tradition in the Junior Common Room at Pforzheimer House on Radcliffe Quad. Rose Lincoln/Harvard Staff Photographer

Student euphoria reaches new heights at the Mather Lather, the 11th annual foam party at Mather House. Photo by Katherine Taylor

Team C members from Leverett House play basketball during an intrasquad game. Jon Chase/Harvard Staff Photographer

Students gather around tables in the dining room to confer on physics projects during Leverett House Physics Night. Jon Chase/Harvard Staff Photographer

House Master Howard Georgi (right) joins student choristers for impromptu carols around the piano during the Leverett Open House. Jon Chase/Harvard Staff Photographer

Fisheye views of Quincy House construction at Harvard. Kris Snibbe/Harvard Staff Photographer

A student reclines in the Leverett House courtyard. Jon Chase/Harvard Staff Photographer

During Housing Day, students head out from Pforzheimer House in Radcliffe Quad. Housing Day starts in the undergraduate Houses, then students rush Harvard Yard, and finally deliver letters to the freshmen in their dorm rooms surrounding the Yard. Rose Lincoln/Harvard Staff Photographer

Cabot House residents get crazy as they head to their final freshman dorm during Harvard University Housing Day. Rose Lincoln/Harvard Staff Photographer

PfoHo polar bears dance in the yard during Housing Day. Rose Lincoln/Harvard Staff Photographer