Upperclassmen returning to University Housing next year may be out of luck as the University is planning to change its current policy of housing priority, giving sophomores earlier sign up dates, and therefore better pick of housing, over returning juniors and seniors. News of this monumental housing change immediately sparked a reaction among upperclassmen as a Facebook group petitioning the new policy was made and people voiced their opinions of University housing “kicking them out” next year. However, after looking past the initial reaction of upperclassmen and examining this issue further, is this really as insensitive and impulsive as people are making it sound?
“University Housing is going through several renovations, next year East Quad will be closing for renovations and Baits I is closing as well. With the closing of East Quad and Baits, even with Alice Lloyd coming back, we anticipated anything between 150 or so fewer beds than we have needed over the past few years and we’ve been at full occupancy in these years,” said Peter Logan, Director of Communications for University Housing. “This year when it looked like we may not even have enough beds for returning students, we talked carefully with the Residence Hall association and student staff and housing as well as other students, we found that we needed to change housing priority sign up. We believe we are better serving the residence hall population by reversing priority. Those students who are returning to University Housing and who have stayed with us in the shortest period of time will have a sooner spot in the selection process.”
Another factor affecting the University’s decision to change Housing priority was the issue of guidance. Juniors and seniors are seen as having less difficulty knowing their way around, they understand where to find certain resources, and, most significantly, most juniors and seniors live in houses or apartments.
“I think that very few juniors or seniors choose to live in the dorms anyway…If they are still in the dorms and not an RA or CA, upperclassmen are probably receiving a scholarship or living there because of parents’ wishes. Few students would probably chose to live there. University Housing should be rewarding those very few students who are choosing to support University Housing,” said Emily Goldstein, sophomore (2014), LSA Math Major.
Theme communities, such as International Impact in North Quad and WISE in Mosher Jordan, will not change. They will not give priority to Sophomores over juniors/seniors and will operate the way they have always been. Northwood I and II, which were previously offered for single graduate students, will now be available for upper level undergraduates. For the rising juniors and seniors who prefer to live on central campus, Stockwell, North Quad, and Cambridge House remain. Though current sophomores and juniors have voiced mixed responses to the housing priority changes, current Freshman responses have been, predictably, ecstatic. However, some of them voiced opinions over dorm dynamics. It is interesting to question how the dorm dynamics will change with Housing Priority sign up now that juniors and seniors face the possibility of being placed in predominantly freshman/sophomore dorms.
“It’s obviously beneficial for me to have higher priority in Housing, but, at the same time, I wonder if dynamics of certain dorms will change. I’m in Oxford right now and I wonder what changes will affect it with this sign up change because it’s mostly a Freshman dorm. I’ll be here as a CA next year and I wonder if more seniors and juniors will have to live here because of Housing priority. Freshmen may face a different college experience with seniors and juniors here,” said Adam Tannenbaum, Freshman (2015) LSA Undecided.
Taking this reasoning into account, it is clear why University Housing has made this drastic decision. Only time will tell if this process will remain in effect after the renovations are finished and stabilized. Perhaps more upperclassmen will move out of University Housing or maybe a majority of freshman dorms will be transformed, either way University Housing is undergoing some major changes next year.
