2008 Woodie Awards
Upper-class students continue to get kicked off campus
Issue date: 3/6/08
Of course, on-campus housing is not for everyone, and some students are more than happy to deal with landlords and maintenance workers who couldn't care less about their tenants. However, as the e-mail from housing pointed out, there were "…a larger number of students express[ing] interest than ... space available." Surprise! Maybe some of us actually would like to wait a few years before the fun of paying electric bills and rent.
Granted, Charles Commons, with its approximately 600 spaces, has alleviated the housing problems at Hopkins, but most of those spaces go to sophomores for whom, without it, housing couldn't be guaranteed even for students' second year. Maybe I should be grateful that I got to live on campus this year, even if it was in McCoy.
But, for some reason, I'm not content. The 80-100 spots that were open to my class do not even come close to meeting our needs.
If we really claim to be like our peers, why can't we actually act like them? What do Brown, Columbia, Dartmouth and Duke have in common? According to the College Board, at least 85 percent of their undergraduates live in campus housing. Considering the fact that some students will always want to live off-campus, this suggests that nearly anyone who wants campus housing at those schools can receive it.
So much for peer institutions. If U.S. News and World Report considered housing availability when comparing Hopkins to the aforementioned schools, maybe we'd see some progress.
In the meantime, however, all we can do is hope: hope that, at some point, Hopkins realizes that its responsibilities lie beyond providing us with working classrooms, a library and a national-championship-winning lacrosse team.
That hope, though, is probably na've. As the News-Letter reported last week, Hopkins was recently ranked fourth by the Council for Aid to Education (CAE) for its fundraising prowess, but the school still can't provide us with housing.
Columbia, Brown, Dartmouth and Duke - with their 85 percent housing rate - all raised less money according to CAE.
So in the end, the housing question is really one about priorities. Other reputable schools, like the aforementioned four, have demonstrated that it is possible to go beyond the bare minimum for housing, even without our fundraising expertise.
Five months ago, Hopkins finished completion of the $75-million Decker Quadrangle, containing a garage that can hold 604 cars, many more than the previous parking area behind Garland Hall held.
Whose needs are more important, cars' or students'? It's a simple but telling question. As I hunt for my off-campus apartment, I know that it's probably not the latter.
Granted, Charles Commons, with its approximately 600 spaces, has alleviated the housing problems at Hopkins, but most of those spaces go to sophomores for whom, without it, housing couldn't be guaranteed even for students' second year. Maybe I should be grateful that I got to live on campus this year, even if it was in McCoy.
But, for some reason, I'm not content. The 80-100 spots that were open to my class do not even come close to meeting our needs.
If we really claim to be like our peers, why can't we actually act like them? What do Brown, Columbia, Dartmouth and Duke have in common? According to the College Board, at least 85 percent of their undergraduates live in campus housing. Considering the fact that some students will always want to live off-campus, this suggests that nearly anyone who wants campus housing at those schools can receive it.
So much for peer institutions. If U.S. News and World Report considered housing availability when comparing Hopkins to the aforementioned schools, maybe we'd see some progress.
In the meantime, however, all we can do is hope: hope that, at some point, Hopkins realizes that its responsibilities lie beyond providing us with working classrooms, a library and a national-championship-winning lacrosse team.
That hope, though, is probably na've. As the News-Letter reported last week, Hopkins was recently ranked fourth by the Council for Aid to Education (CAE) for its fundraising prowess, but the school still can't provide us with housing.
Columbia, Brown, Dartmouth and Duke - with their 85 percent housing rate - all raised less money according to CAE.
So in the end, the housing question is really one about priorities. Other reputable schools, like the aforementioned four, have demonstrated that it is possible to go beyond the bare minimum for housing, even without our fundraising expertise.
Five months ago, Hopkins finished completion of the $75-million Decker Quadrangle, containing a garage that can hold 604 cars, many more than the previous parking area behind Garland Hall held.
Whose needs are more important, cars' or students'? It's a simple but telling question. As I hunt for my off-campus apartment, I know that it's probably not the latter.
Viewing Comments 1 - 6 of 7
Joanne Di Gennaro
posted 3/07/08 @ 10:20 AM EST
"Kicked Off Campus" is persuasive and very well-written. Glenwick is insightful. As a parent, I was confused when I received a letter telling me that my daughter, a sophmore, would not be guarenteed housing next year because it was reserved for next year's seniors. (Continued…)
Simon
posted 3/12/08 @ 5:27 PM EST
I understand where Michael is coming from, but I would urge him and others to look at living at off-campus housing as an opportunity, not a hardship. It certainly is more complicated than living within the nest, but it is also more liberating (not to mention less expensive, in some cases). (Continued…)
Simon
posted 3/12/08 @ 5:34 PM EST
And one other thing. The University should not, in fact, be responsible for providing you housing. It has only one responsibility: to educate. Everything else is a marketing ploy. (Continued…)
elle
posted 3/12/08 @ 10:42 PM EST
A student can always try to become an RA and stay on campus all four years. Also, I know upper classmen who live in Charles Commons.
Anon
posted 3/13/08 @ 1:13 PM EST
I agree with the above posters. Moving off campus is a good step towards independence. In fact, you'll be even more ready for the real world than your peers who had an RA for four years and now are shell-shocked when they realize the world isn't all luxury suites with gyms and RA's to take care of you. (Continued…)
JHU Mom
posted 3/13/08 @ 4:16 PM EST
Simon, I can understand how you feel about the independence you gain by moving off campus, and that may be fine for some students who CHOOSE to do that, but I think it is unfortunate for those who would prefer to remain on campus. (Continued…)
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