Earlier this month, in a letter to the Brown community, President Ruth Simmons announced an increase in budgeted undergraduate enrollment to 6,000 students. At a time when the number of college applicants is growing disproportionately to available spots, particularly at selective universities, we find this initiative commendable. However, the proposed 1.1 percent increase threatens to exacerbate the housing crunch Brown current students are experiencing. Before we invite more students to matriculate, we should be sure that we can provide both enrolled and incoming students with not merely adequate, but desirable housing options.
Achieving this goal requires an approach with multiple fronts, starting with being able to accurately determine the number of students who need on-campus housing. Last fall, we urged the Office of Residential Life to "streamline the off campus permission process," a suggestion that thankfully, as The Herald reported in November, ResLife heeded. We hope that revamping this policy to expand off-campus permission and grant it at an earlier date will minimize the situations in which upperclassmen are unable to secure a lease in time or change their minds late in the game and return to campus, displacing other students. Balancing the numbers of on- and off-campus housing will be critical in the process of improving residential life.
But permitting more students to live off-campus is only a temporary fix, and ultimately detracts from the atmosphere of a residential community that enhances the undergraduate experience. As The Herald reported earlier this month, 50 students are still living in temporary housing — truly a misnomer when the living situation lasts for over a semester. How many of the new matriculants we are seeking to attract would still choose Brown if they knew they would be assigned to live in a converted kitchen for most of a year?
Moreover, many of the current dorms are in dire need of renovation, particularly Graduate Center, which houses many upperclassmen. Recent renovations, like those in New Pembroke, have quickly improved students' living conditions. It is heartening that the Undergraduate Council of Students has prioritized these improvements, particularly given the dismayed reactions of those Corporation members who toured Grad Center last spring. In the process of evaluating living conditions across campus, we also hope to see a push for more equalized first-year housing. For the first-years holed up in a tiny Perkins double visiting her friend's comparatively spacious Littlefield Hall room, dealing with dormitory life and homesickness is just that much harder.
It is no surprise, of course, that the most effective solution to the housing problem is the construction of new residence halls. Though the University is currently operating with a restrictive budget, this project must be given priority, and soon, if we are to expand enrollment as the Corporation has suggested. We hope that these plans will come to fruition as quickly as financially possible, while still providing students with comfortable accommodations. While we applaud the University's desire to expand the student body, we must consider whether our resources are currently meeting the needs of currently enrolled students before increasing our numbers.
Editorials are written by The Herald's editorial page board. Send comments to editorials@browndailyherald.com.
