By Simeon Moss
President Hunter Rawlings appeared before the Student Assembly April 11 to discuss the new residential housing policy.
More than 150 people filled the Willard Straight Hall Memorial Room for the afternoon session, which featured strong reactions by several student speakers to one of the policy's proposals -- the phasing out of freshman participation in program houses.
In his introductory remarks, Rawlings thanked Assembly members for providing a forum for a dialogue on the policy. He pointed out the administration has been working on the issue for some time, and the policy was drafted after much discussion and refinement, including campus meetings, forums, committee reports and revisions. He also noted that the housing policy will be put in place over five to seven years to allow time for implementing programs and making adjustments.
Rawlings also discussed several of the policy's proposals, including: guaranteeing on-campus housing for freshman, sophomores and transfer students; building at least one new residence facility; improving existing facilities to better support residential communities programs; attracting more upperclassmen to on-campus housing; expanding faculty-in-residence and faculty fellows programs; and implementing related residential communities programs to help link students' academic and residential lives.
The president stated his continued support for keeping program houses strong, "even if freshmen are no longer living there."
The proposal to phase out freshman participation in the houses would give those first-year students the opportunity to be involved in residential communities programs and explore their range of options before choosing, perhaps, to live in one of the theme or program houses. Rawlings compared its intent to the intent of the academic policy that allows freshmen two years of study before having them choose a major.
Rawlings explained the overall policy is being reviewed by several groups, and suggestions are still being accepted. After a final redrafting, the goal and principals section of the policy will be presented to the board of trustees in May for its approval.
Many in the audience, however, attended the meeting to show their displeasure with the proposal to limit freshman participation in program houses. Several students addressed Rawlings directly from a microphone set up for the meeting, expressing support for the program houses and questioning the president's motives, attention and even his authority.
"The removal of freshmen from program houses guaran
tees their elimination," said Solomon Smart '97, who suggested the primary target was Ujamaa Residential College. He said the plan should be ripped up, and he also asserted that he had not been heard.
Rawlings told several speakers, including Smart, that he appreciated their comments and that he was listening. But he pointed out that because people disagree on an issue, it doesn't mean they're not listening to each other. Again, he said, a goal of the proposal is to encourage a common experience for all freshmen during their first year.
Other speakers said the policy would reduce freshman choices, and a final speaker suggested the policy's other proposals should be implemented first, before the freshman restriction is addressed.
Rawlings suggested that by phasing in the restriction over a number of years, the last suggestion would be realized.
On Monday afternoon, a group of about 250 students marched to the entrance of Day Hall, and presented Susan Murphy, vice president for student and academic services, with a letter for President Rawlings, which reads, in part: "We do not accept your proposal to prohibit freshmen from living in Ujamaa and urge you to eliminate this provision from your recommendation to the Board of Trustees."
A copy of the residential housing policy is posted electronically at http://www.sas.cornell.edu/rcc/index.html.