The SGA voted last night to oppose a Resident Life plan to restrict juniors from being pulled into suites in University Courtyards and South Campus Commons next year.
The Student Government Association’s resolution, which passed 17 to 10, came a day after the Residence Hall Association voted to support the proposal put forth by Resident Life Director Deb Grandner.
The opposing votes leaves the consensus Grander was looking for on the issue elusive as she looks to help solve the on-campus housing crunch. A member of both the SGA and the RHA, Matthew Verghese has said Grander is set to make final decisions on who will be allowed to lease in Commons and Courtyards next year by Monday.
As in Tuesday’s RHA meeting, debate among SGA members on the issue was heated.
Verghese, who is also an RHA member, argued Tuesday and again last night that students with low enough housing priority numbers to get into Courtyards and Commons should be able to pull friends into their suites – regardless of their year.
The Resident Life proposal would mean juniors entering their senior year next fall could not be pulled in.
“We have to talk about what we want on this campus,” said Verghese. “Being pulled in is a process, you get to chose who your roommates are. Being comfortable in your living space is the number one reason why people want to live in the residence halls.”
Other SGA members echoed Verghese’s stance.
“The Commons are the one place on campus for seniors to be pulled in,” said Commons legislator Josh Swanner. “I strongly urge that we keep the Commons the way they are. It’s [restricting senior pull-ins as] a solution for the housing crunch for next year. We are changing Commons permanently for a short-term solution that will be solved over the next few years.”
However, SGA Vice President Brad Docherty and RHA President Sumner Handy, who also attended the SGA’s meeting last night, again argued that juniors deserve housing over seniors.
“If you have a buddy you can get into housing,” said Docherty. “You are taking spots at the expense of third years.”
“A lot of people are faced with economic realities,” he added. “It is a housing crisis. There are decisions that have to be made. A lot of the decisions are a lot more serious than trying to decide who to live with.”
Legislators also argued over the maturity of third- and fourth-year students and who would be more capable of finding off-campus housing.
“There’s a difference between juniors and seniors,” said sophomore legislator Abby Widom, arguing fourth-year students are better equipped to deal with the search for apartments off the campus. “Rising seniors do know a lot more about this area than rising juniors.”
