Philosophically, we disagree with the introduction of freshman-only housing into the Dartmouth community. Dartmouth has built itself on being a single integrated community rather than a collection of separate classes. Students do not label themselves as "freshmen" or "juniors" but instead identify themselves by the assumed year of graduation. A student is above all a member of the Dartmouth community rather than a part of an isolated class.
Since the Board of Trustees and the Office of Residential Life have decided to experiment with freshman housing as a new option for the Dartmouth community, this experiment should broaden the range of residential opportunities.
As it stands, though, the current freshman housing plan will reduce rather than increase the choices students can make about their housing. On the housing application that all incoming students complete, there will be no box to check or dotted line to sign indicating whether one prefers to live in a single-class environment. Assignments to these experimental floors are going to be random.
This is especially unfortunate because students in the Class of 2004 applied to Dartmouth with the understanding that there is no freshman-only housing. Many students are enthusiastic about applying to and attending this college because it strives to be a unified community rather than a collection of random classes. Now students who would like to live in a residential community larger than their own incoming class may be denied that opportunity.
The College should not sacrifice all students' choice because they are concerned that some will be disappointed. Incoming freshmen are allowed to apply for both substance-free housing and the East Wheelock Cluster, and most of those students are not granted their wish. More importantly, no freshman is living within these special programs who did not wish to be there.
The Student Life Initiative should be about creating -- not eliminating -- choices. The freshman-housing experiment had the potential for creating a whole new element of choice for the Class of 2004, but instead, freshmen who may not want to be separated from upperclassmen will be. Before these students have matriculated, they will already be assigned to a residential experience that they were not able to choose. Before they officially enter the Dartmouth community, they may already be denied easy access to the upperclassmen.
