General Info
The Interhouse Committee of the California Institute of Technology exists for the purpose of allowing communication between the eight Student Houses towards the solution of common problems. Specific charges of the IHC include organizing Rotation, overseeing Interhouse sports and Discobolus, and selecting the student members of the Faculty-Student Committees. The IHC acts as a representative and liason for all members of the House system to Caltech administation and faculty.
Rotation
The rotation system has evolved over the years as the best method to distribute new students among the Houses. Each new student is given a voice in selecting the House he or she will join, and the Houses have some say in choosing their members.
When new students arrive at Caltech, they are given temporary living assignments in one of the Houses selected at random. During the first week of class, they eat lunch and dinner in a different House each day with the people who live in that House. After the dinners, each House holds some type of reception, so that the new students and upperclassmen can mingle and get to know something about one another.
At the end of the week, the new students are asked to rate the eight Houses according to their preferences. The final selections will be made by the House Presidents and a few of their advisors in a process that attempts to weigh the wishes of both the new students and the upperclassmen of the Houses. Typically a large percentage of new students end up in one of their top choices, although sometimes they are placed in another House because the upperclassmen feel that a different placement will serve the new student better.
Committees
The Food Committee is set up to provide feedback to CDS and help improve the Board Plan. The committee consists of the current IHC Food Chair Deepak Mishra and representatives from all eight Houses.
The Stewardship Committee works with the Housing Office to resolve damages to the Houses. The committee consists of the current Stewardship Chair John Hasier and representatives from all eight Houses.
The IHC selects the student members of many of the Faculty-Student Committees. These committees include Freshman Admissions and UASH. Life at Caltech is special because of the high level of student self-government and a big part of this is our representation on these Faculty policy-setting committees.
donut.caltech.edu: ASCIT (Associated Students of California Institute of Technology) website
caltech.edu: official Caltech website