Get Herald RSSA persistent University housing crunch, highlighted by the recent housing lottery, has prompted the Office of Residential Life to release a report examining alternative housing possibilities. Some notable options include the guest room of the president's house, the common room of Goddard House, cardboard boxes on Wriston Quad and a tent city on the Main Green.
At the moment, the Main Green tent city seems to be the most viable option, said Vice President for Campus Life and Student Services David Greene. "It's the only space on campus that can hold a huge number of students, and it seems more comfortable than cardboard boxes. You can get all-weather tents, right?"
Greene's support of the plan prompted one ResLife staff member to jokingly nickname the project "Greene Tent City," but Greene said he preferred his name not be associated with it. "It didn't work out so well for Herbert Hoover," he said.
Other options, such as the guest room of the president's house, "are feasible options, but not long-term problem solvers," according to Rosario Navarro, assistant director of ResLife. "You can't fit more than two people in there, and those residents must be willing to have nightly fireside chats with the president."
As for the common room of Goddard, which houses Delta Phi, some current residents expressed skepticism about the sensibility of this plan. "That room smells a lot like urine," said Mason Mayberry '08, an independent living on the first floor of Goddard. "And they might use your bed as an extra beirut table. But I guess there's more room than a Perkins lounge. Some people might see that as a plus."
The release of the report has inspired fear in many first-year students currently on the housing wait list and a surge in applications for special housing through Disability Support Services. "I have an allergy to the outdoors," said Hanna Lore-Booram '09, regarding her aversion to living on the Main Green. "I have to have a single in (Young Orchard). It's a health thing."
But others expressed enthusiasm for the plan. Colton Fridenberg '09 told The Herald he rushed DPhi but did not receive a bid from the fraternity. "At least living in their common room would be a way to get closer to the brothers," he said.
