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EDITORIAL: Midyears should live together
We have the housing
Editorial | 11/18/08
Posted online at 2:33 AM EST on 11/18/08
Considering the concerns with the University's budget, it is understandable that we cannot pay the nearly $1 million cost to renovate a dorm for the midyear class of 2013. Although that class of midyears will not have a new dorm like its recent predecessors, the University should ensure that the midyear class of 2013 can still live together.
Every class of midyears since the midyear class of 2008 has been housed together. Members of the inaugural midyear class of 2007, who arrived in January 2004, were separated from each other. They were forced to live with other first-years and upperclassmen that were already well-versed in the college lifestyle. In an interview with the Justice last fall, Brian Paternostro '08, a member of that first class, told the Justice that the original midyear class had an "awkward integration" into the University.
There are ways the University could still keep the midyear class of 2013 together. The best way would be to leave an existing first-year dorm open for the fall semester for the midyears. Co-director of Residence Life Jeremy Leiferman told the Justice last week that the University will probably not go in that direction because the University shouldn't leave a building empty when "we're tripling up students in other buildings and overoccupying rooms." But the scenario Leiferman describes already occurs. One of the first-year dorms has been closed for renovations every fall semester since the 2004 to 2005 academic year. The only difference this time is that the first-year dorm the regular first-year students couldn't access would be empty instead of under renovation.
In addition, the University plans to make the regular class of 2013 smaller, which should alleviate overcrowding. This means fewer students will have to live in lofted triples for their first year.
The University could move sophomores out of Scheffres, which switched from being a first-year dorm for the fall of 2007, and make it the midyear dorm. Because of the completion of Ridgewood and the smaller size of the Class of 2012 as compared to the Classes of 2010 and 2011, the University has more flexibility to shuffle students around.
Midyears can still live in a recently renovated facility, as Scheffres was renovated in the fall of 2004. Alternatively, the University could put the midyear class of 2013 in Usen, which is currently being renovated for the midyear class of 2012, and use Scheffres as a regular first-year dorm.
Keeping the midyear class of 2013 together may require the University to leave a dorm vacant for a semester, but the midyear class of 2013 should have an easier transition to college if it can be housed in the dorm.
Every class of midyears since the midyear class of 2008 has been housed together. Members of the inaugural midyear class of 2007, who arrived in January 2004, were separated from each other. They were forced to live with other first-years and upperclassmen that were already well-versed in the college lifestyle. In an interview with the Justice last fall, Brian Paternostro '08, a member of that first class, told the Justice that the original midyear class had an "awkward integration" into the University.
There are ways the University could still keep the midyear class of 2013 together. The best way would be to leave an existing first-year dorm open for the fall semester for the midyears. Co-director of Residence Life Jeremy Leiferman told the Justice last week that the University will probably not go in that direction because the University shouldn't leave a building empty when "we're tripling up students in other buildings and overoccupying rooms." But the scenario Leiferman describes already occurs. One of the first-year dorms has been closed for renovations every fall semester since the 2004 to 2005 academic year. The only difference this time is that the first-year dorm the regular first-year students couldn't access would be empty instead of under renovation.
In addition, the University plans to make the regular class of 2013 smaller, which should alleviate overcrowding. This means fewer students will have to live in lofted triples for their first year.
The University could move sophomores out of Scheffres, which switched from being a first-year dorm for the fall of 2007, and make it the midyear dorm. Because of the completion of Ridgewood and the smaller size of the Class of 2012 as compared to the Classes of 2010 and 2011, the University has more flexibility to shuffle students around.
Midyears can still live in a recently renovated facility, as Scheffres was renovated in the fall of 2004. Alternatively, the University could put the midyear class of 2013 in Usen, which is currently being renovated for the midyear class of 2012, and use Scheffres as a regular first-year dorm.
Keeping the midyear class of 2013 together may require the University to leave a dorm vacant for a semester, but the midyear class of 2013 should have an easier transition to college if it can be housed in the dorm.
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