A look inside: Radcliffe Quad
When the straws are drawn on Housing Day each spring, the phrase “You got quadded?” is sometimes heard. It’s meant to suggest that someone drew the short straw. But the residents say that’s not so. In the fresh air of Radcliffe Quad, where the contoured and traditional lawn chairs have arms for books or laptops or lunch, the grass is perfectly manicured, not pockmarked or brown, not worn on the edges. Frisbee matches are uninterrupted by tourists. Occasionally, solitude reigns. Currier, Pforzheimer, and Cabot Houses also border the Quad, but mostly it belongs to Cabot House, which has residences on three of the four sides. In midafternoon, the sound of children laughing can be heard, as youngsters in the after-school program at Graham & Parks elementary school roll down the grassy slope. It is peaceful on Radcliffe Quad. There’s no river traffic or geese to waken weekend slumber. There are no late-night revelers...