The housing proposals released Thursday by the Office of Residential Life could go far in solving the College's recent housing problems.
For the past few years, the College has experienced a housing crunch, which for the last two years could more aptly be described as a housing crisis. In 1994 and 1995, a lack of beds forced the College to place students seeking on-campus housing on a wait-list. As a residential college, it is imperative that Dartmouth be able to house all students who wish to reside on campus. To do so, new beds are needed.
The Report to the Community on the Future Housing Needs of Dartmouth College recommends the College consider building a new residential facility. The report proposes four models for the new facility, two of which would allow the College to decompress existing rooms. The College must select an option that allows room decompression. The report states that the College should make every effort to reduce the number of students living off-campus by one-third. To accomplish this goal, the College must provide more attractive housing opportunities for upperclassmen.
In order to ensure that these new beds will be filled during Fall, Winter and Spring terms, the report recommends that sophomores be required to live on-campus. The College should require and provide housing for sophomores. Not only would this requirement make the construction of new beds a viable option, but according to an ORL survey, 96 percent of sophomores want to live on campus.
The report recommends that privately-owned coed and fraternity houses should no longer be considered part of the College's on-campus housing. The College should follow this recommendation. It is unfair for the College to count privately-owned coed and fraternity beds as beds that are available to all students. The report also recommends sophomores not be allowed to reside in a CFS house until their sophomore summer. Should the College decided to build a new residence facility, it should follow this proposal in order to ensure that newly-constructed beds are filled.
Finally, the report recommends that the College move to implement the Dartmouth Experience program. The program, based on the recommendations of the Committee on the First-Year Experience seeks to increase intellectual interaction outside the classroom between faculty and students and among students. The goals of this program are commendable and the College should seek to implement them as quickly as possible.
The recent housing report offers recommendations that will better the residential experience of all Dartmouth students. Focusing on the need to build more beds and decompress existing rooms, the College should seriously consider all of the recommendations made in the report and move quickly to solve its current housing problems and improve the quality of its residential program.
