Harvard College (1636-1780). Scholars of the House

The Scholars of the House were students appointed by the Harvard Corporation to monitor the buildings, rooms, and fences of the College, and to provide a quarterly accounting, known as the district reports, of damages and any responsible parties to the Treasurer. The Scholars' responsibilities were twofold: to monitor the condition of the College’s property, and to monitor the activities of students.

The duties of the Scholars of the House were first specified in the College Laws recorded in the March 27, 1667 meeting of the Harvard Overseers. The Scholars' were instructed to inventory the condition of the chamber doors, shelves, tables, windows, benches, common doors, chimneys, floors, spouts, and gutters, and afterwards to inspect them regularly for damage. Scholars of the House kept lists of room occupancies, and investigated the causes and parties responsible for damaged property...