Growing Pains

Student housing

By Jimmy Thomas
Courier Staff

Housing is perhaps the most important problem this campus is facing because of our recent growth. It is probably also the most complained about—and rightfully so. I am not writing this article to harp on past mistakes but rather to ensure that the administration realizes how frustrated students have been with housing situations in the past and to enable them to avoid similar mistakes.

There are three major issues which need to be addressed to make housing a successful and satisfying process for both students and administrators in the coming years: seniority, theme housing and ensuring a permanent room for every incoming student.

One of the biggest problems with housing sign up last year was allowing underclassmen to obtain upper-class and premium housing before the junior class. After the seniors chose their housing, the juniors were essentially cut off from registering for rooms in Bowers Hall and completely excluded from North Hall. This meant a number of sophomores and even first year students ended up in premium housing instead of juniors.

A second looming decision the school must make is deciding how many theme houses there will be and who is going to live in them before July. Having lived in theme housing for two years, I know firsthand that obtaining and keeping housing is an incredibly painful process that left me feeling used, ignored and misled.

I realize the theme houses are a privilege, but since so many students now live in them, it is important to treat them respectfully and at the very least inform them about decisions. Communicating with students can never be done too frequently. Let them know your plans and give them a realistic idea of what is happening.

I want the administration to think about how they would feel if they were told they were moving but could not decide where they were living, how many people they were living with or who they were living with until a month before they moved in.

This is what happens when theme house decisions are made in the middle of the summer. Not only is it extremely distressing to not know if you will be in a dorm or a theme house, but there are a number of other factors to consider: do I remain on the meal plan, who will my roommate be and will I still be an RA?

Lastly, the school must absolutely ensure that all students have a roomnot a lounge—and not a temporary house they will not stay in for the academic year. There is no excuse for cramming first year students, eight at a time, into barrack-style lounges.

Entering college is a difficult venture for a variety of reasons. One of the most important ways students begin to feel comfortable on campus is by settling into their living environment. Telling students they will not have permanent housing for an undetermined amount of time is unacceptable. What is the point of a room deposit if the first year students have to wait weeks to get placed into a room they can call their own?

This problem is disheartening, because the fraternity complex has a large number of spaces available and is notorious for having open rooms and double singles. In light of the serious housing issues, the fraternity complex should not continue to be given special privileges. The fraternity complex—although a unique living environment—is still a place of residency on MC’s campus and must be treated as such.

The school must take the empty rooms and use them for students who desperately need a place to stay, a place they can call their own.