An unfair choice

To the Editor:

In last week's editorial ("Balance in Housing," DP, 2/9/06), you unfairly singled out Gregory as the college house most ill-suited to freshmen. As a sophomore who has resided in Gregory for two years, I beg to differ.

Although I too, like many incoming freshmen, was disappointed to find out I would be living in Gregory -- it's undeniably ugly, and rumor has it that it fails to provide the traditional freshman experience -- I turned out to be pleasantly surprised by the house's strong sense of community.

For a house where not a single person shares a room, Gregory has one of the most tight-knit and vibrant social scenes on campus.

Everyone -- freshmen and upperclassmen -- knows each other, and we have a very high participation in house events. Also -- most telling of all -- we have an extremely high rate of return from one year to the next.

Furthermore, the large third and fourth floors are given almost entirely to freshmen, who in no sense lack the concentrated freshmen experience the UA seeks to provide and that you championed in your editorial.

I do not disagree with you: It is important for freshmen to be around their peers, while not being utterly segregated from upperclassmen. Gregory provides that ideal freshman experience, and should serve as a model community for the other college houses on campus, not as a whipping boy.

Matt Davis

College sophomore

Please note All comments are eligible for publication in The Daily Pennsylvanian.