Grand Marshal Week and the recent “Uprise at Five” protest have pushed student-administration issues to the forefront in many student leaders’ minds. In light of this, the Housing Advisory Committee has taken on the task of implementing student input and accountability.
The Housing Advisory Committee is a bridge that has been built between the administration and the student body, designed to tackle some of the hardest problems facing the campus housing system. The purpose of this committee is to brainstorm solutions, not to serve as an official voice of the students.
Eight students representing groups including Residence Life, alumni, athletics, greeks, independents, ROTC, and all undergraduate class years, along with Associate Director of Residence Life Amanda Bingel, have been meeting on a weekly basis to discuss various issues ranging from how to preserve squatters’ rights to what meal plan options would best serve students.
Lee Sharma ’12, a member of the Housing Advisory Committee, said, “Due to the current and likely housing situation, the need for a student-Institute partnership in housing is greater than ever.
“Intra-hall squatting was eliminated this year as a part of the transition to the [Clustered Learning Advocacy and Support for Students] initiative.”
The Sophomore Housing Initiative will require all students in the Class of 2013—this fall’s entering freshmen—to live on campus during their freshman and sophomore years.
“We have about 600 spots for all upperclassmen. After taking another 50–100 beds out for the [Rensselaer Engineering Education Across Cultural Horizons] students, who are guaranteed housing, we have about 525 spots for all juniors, seniors, super-seniors, and grad students on campus,” said Sharma.
Based on research from the Housing Advisory Committee, with the estimated 600 squatters and 130 intra-hall squatters each year, the squatters won’t be able to live on campus.
Bingel contacted the Student Senate regarding the creation of this joint committee between the students and the Office of Residence Life.
The committee feels that this is a sign that the administration is reaching out to students on this issue. Haris Khan ’11 stated, “This is an excellent first step towards Institute transparency, seeking student input, and hopefully a sign of good things to come.”
The membership of the committee is limited to keep discussions more productive, but stresses that student opinion is very important. They are working on meetings and events that draw in as much of the student body as possible to address potential housing issues that will arise not only on campus but off campus as well.
Sharma concluded by saying, “We are discussing ways to involve the rest of the student body.
“Our current thoughts include holding frequent forums in a large conference rooms to accommodate more people, as well as more special interest groups (e.g., a whole sports team, a group of archies, or a ROTC detachment).”
Khan also said, “It’s important for us to see all students’ perspectives on housing issues, and, of course, gathering input from friends and peers on an individual basis.”
The Housing Advisory Committee plans to continue to work with the administration, ResLife, and the student body to help RPI make a successful transition as the new housing plan is implemented and new buildings for housing appear on campus.
