Last Monday, 755 undergraduates entered the Office of Residential Life's housing raffle, the winner of which will have first pick for his or her group in the upcoming housing lottery. In related news, no one is excited about this development. We urge ResLife to bring back our beloved first pick video competition.
Why is no one excited about the first pick raffle? Probably because putting your name in a box when you have a less than 1 percent chance of winning the less-than-exciting prize is unexciting. With such a minuscule chance of emerging victorious from the raffle, we are somewhat underwhelmed with the grand prize of a choice between a Young Orchard or Vartan Gregorian Quad suite.
The raffle replaced the brilliant video competition, in which students had to film a short movie explaining why they deserved the first pick. The submissions that passed a ResLife review were then shown at a raucous movie screening and online at the ResLife website. In a beautiful display of direct democracy, the students — the vox populi, if you will — determined the winner based on a popular vote.
Though ResLife contends that the raffle is more effective in spreading information regarding housing options, we disagree. The Herald reported that Richard Hilton, assistant director of operations for ResLife, said he believes the raffle is more educational because, in order for students to enter into the contest, they were required to visit three information booths for different program houses at the housing fair. While the intention behind this rule is admirable, reports suggest that the real effect was to force students with little desire to live in a program house — after all, they are hoping for first pick in the housing lottery — to simply go through the motions of feigning interest in program houses.
The first pick videos garnered a tremendous amount of attention for the housing process, largely because the video competition was such a fun and unique Brown tradition. All students — even those who might have been unavailable to go to the housing fair — were able to view the videos online. The movies, featured on the ResLife website, attracted much web traffic to online housing information. The movie screenings in Sayles Hall were boisterous and well-attended.
Additionally, the first pick video contest could help tell you who you want in your group in the first place. That wildly impressive athlete who did his own stunts around Brown's campus in the 2009 winning video, "Ruthless?" Someone who literally sacrifices his body for the sake of art or ritzy accommodations? Now that's a guy you want to live with. The guy who is kind of in your friend group and decides he wants to take a real Ingmar Berman direction with your video? Not so much.
Most importantly, the video contest provided much-needed levity and joy to the housing process, which can be stressful. And it was yet another forum for Brown students to demonstrate their remarkable creativity and talent. Please ResLife — for our sake and yours — let us have our night at the movies back and reinstate the tradition of the first pick video competition.
Editorials are written by The Herald's editorial page board. Send comments to editorials@browndailyherald.com.
