Resident Life Director Deb Grandner had high hopes for last night’s open forum on housing.
After breaking the news to students last week that as many as 1,003 sophomores could lose their housing next year, Grandner requested that 500 chairs be set up in the Colony Ballroom of the Stamp Student Union, to ensure that any students who wanted to speak their minds had the opportunity.
About 25 did.
Grandner said she was disappointed that more students did not attend the forum because she wants to keep students informed and help them make housing decisions for next year.
“I don’t want it to be, ‘Well, housing is over and off with you!” she said.
But Grandner said she was pleased with the comments and questions she received from the few students who did attend.
By far, the greatest concern was the university’s treatment of its older students.
“You’re going to bring all these people here, but you’re forgetting about the people who are here,” junior English major Earl Schaffer said. “You’re throwing us on the back burner.”
Under Resident Life’s housing-commitment policy, which dictates the order in which students are placed in the dorms, freshmen and sophomores have the highest priority for housing. Grandner said the policy is set up this way because the university views on-campus housing as the best chance for students to build a community and remain in the university. A side effect of the policy, though, is that Resident Life was forced to deny housing to seniors for this fall and to some juniors and all seniors for next fall as a result of the shortage.
Schaffer and many other students argued during the forum that kicking juniors and seniors out of housing could be just as damaging to retention rates, because some students may not be able to afford other housing options.
Grandner said her office is working with the Office of Student Financial Aid on plans for financing off-campus housing, but added, “I absolutely understand that for some students it may not be enough.”
Other students commented on the limited availability and low quality of off-campus housing and area crime.
Grandner began the forum with a presentation demonstrating how recent increases in admissions and housing occupancy have lead to the crunch, spurring many questions from students as to why action is only being taken now.
Junior government and politics and German double major Sash Goswami asked why more university money is not being devoted to building more housing.
“Every morning I look out my window and see the construction guys moving dirt … to put more trees and a fountain in the quad,” Goswami said. “Why isn’t that money going toward housing?”
Grandner replied that the money for the Washington Quad revamping, estimated to cost just more than $3 million, to which Goswami referred was donated for that specific purpose. According to the Resident Life website however, the project is funded by residuals from the construction of South Campus Commons Buildings 5 and 6 and with money from the residence hall project funds, along with a donation.
The only faculty members present at the forum were from Resident Life, leading students to ask why representatives from other parts of the university were not present to address students’ concerns.
“Why isn’t university admissions here?” said junior government and politics major Alexander Siedem. “They’re just as much responsible for this.”
Even representation from the Residence Halls Association was scarce, with only president Sumner Handy and Vice President Alex Beuchler in attendance. Handy said it was recommended that the senators, who have a large role working with Residence Life in creating solutions to the problem, attend the forum, but it was not mandatory.
Resident Life will host another open forum at 7 p.m. on Monday in the Grand Ballroom of the Stamp Student Union.
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