The administration has been developing a housing plan that will include on-campus housing for upperclassmen and a new freshman quadrangle.
Paula Burger, dean of undergraduate education and vice provost, hopes to add another housing complex similar to the AMRs on the west side of North Charles Street in order to create a "freshman campus" and free up housing for upperclassmen in Wolman. Burger speculated that the new complex would be located on what is currently the baseball field.
"We have a master plan that, over the next decade, would give the freshmen a better first-year experience, would allow upperclassmen who want housing to have it and would address the need of graduate students who want to live on campus," said Carol Mohr, director of Housing and Dining Services.
Hopkins turned down 269 upperclassmen who wanted to live on campus this year. Mohr said adding Wolman to the upper-class housing options would cause a dramatic increase in upperclassmen applying for on-campus housing. She also mentioned the long-term possibility that the Charles and Blackstone Apartments - currently owned by Hopkins Real Estate - would be turned into on-campus housing.
Student Council president Scott Bierbryer noted that while Hopkins's security gives juniors and seniors what they are looking for in an on-campus housing experience, Hopkins housing is significantly more expensive than off-campus housing. He also noted that the lower cost of living off-campus can help to alleviate the financial burden of increased tuition.
According to Bierbryer, sophomores were not required to live on campus before 1992. The requirement of sophomore on-campus housing was due to the sheer number of beds bought by the University, including in McCoy and Bradford.
Bierbryer was concerned that a similar situation would occur again, potentially making on-campus housing mandatory for juniors and seniors.
"Making on-campus housing mandatory takes away from the appeal to live in an urban university setting," Bierbryer said.
According to Burger, the baseball field is the best option for a freshman complex. This spot would give the freshmen living in this quad the opportunity to live in an AMR-inspired building.
The University also considered building a freshmen complex placed directly on the green in the current freshman quad, but Burger was not keen on the idea. She pointed to the potential "tunneling effect" the new building would create with Remsen and Dunning Halls, and the Biology East Building, especially since the open freshman quad is one of the more popular and beautiful spots on campus.
Hopkins is currently looking into potential sites for the possible new location of the baseball field since the team would need another field.
Baseball coach Bob Babb said that the University has mentioned the housing plans to him, but will not follow plans for another eight to 10 years.
Although Babb says the current baseball arrangement is more convenient, he views the prospect of moving with some optimism, stating that a new baseball field could include lights, parking and better seating, therefore making way for tournaments.
Hopkins denied 269 upperclassmen for on-campus housing this year, compared to the 354 that were denied last year. Mohr said that Wolman is large enough to provide housing for all upperclassmen who were denied.
This year 469 upperclassmen registered for room selection, which is down from the 693 upperclassmen who registered last year.
Mohr said she believes that this year's decline in upperclassmen applying for on-campus housing comes from the University's announcement that less space was available for them.
"Many students got discouraged at the small number of upperclassmen housing spaces and didn't even bother entering the lottery this year, thinking that they were better off pairing up with friends for an off-campus arrangement than holding on or something that was such a long shot," Burger said.
Charles Commons has given Hopkins much needed space for social interaction for the entire campus, according to Burger, but this change has not solved the housing problem. Although Charles Commons opened to students in August 2006, Burger is still completing the fundraising that was required to build Charles Commons.
"A university's residential program plays a major role in building community, something that we are committed to strengthening at Hopkins, and an issue that was a theme throughout the Commission's report," Burger said, referring to the Commission for Undergraduate Education (CUE) Report.
Burger said Hopkins has not been in the position for the last few years to take on more debt in order to address the remaining housing need.
The University is still dealing with debts accrued from its recent projects, like the renovations of Gilman and Levering, the improvement of the dining facilities and the construction of Charles Commons, which were all undertaken to address the concerns of the CUE report.
These various extensions and improvements of the Homewood campus have left Burger committed to raising $10 million.
"We continue to hear from parents who are frustrated that we cannot accommodate their sons and daughters in University housing," Burger said.
According to Mohr, Hopkins could renovate North Charles Street to allow for a more social environment and concentrate upperclassmen undergraduates in McCoy, the Charles, Wolman, the Blackstone and Charles Commons. Homewood and Bradford would be then used for graduate-student housing options.
The idea for the freshman complex was primarily influenced by the fact that the incoming students who chose to live in Wolman did not have the same social environment as students situated in the AMR Buildings.
Having an AMR-style living environment for all students in their first years would make for a more cohesive campus-life with the development of tighter friendships and a class bond that many other institutions have, according to Burger.
"Collaboration on the question of 'why isn't our community stronger?' led us to conclude that it really has a lot to due to our limited residential options," Burger said. "This, in turn, brought about the reasoning for looking at housing for upperclassmen who wanted it and making a freshmen quadrangle."
According to Burger, the AMRs offer a perfectly sized dormitory, organized "laterally versus vertically, where the stairs are mode of transportation versus the elevators."
With news of changes in the housing plans, upperclassmen have an almost "allergic" reaction to being subjected to the myth that Hopkins wants them to live on-campus, according to Burger.
"We are not trying to force upperclassmen to live on campus, but to give the option to students and their families," she said, noting that this goal was a vital part of the CUE report.
Other apartment buildings off-campus will be impacted by the move to popularize on-campus housing. Mike Thompson, the general manager of the Northway apartment building, said that 70 percent of the building is comprised of Hopkins students.
Burger mentioned that Hopkins has options for potential high-rise lots, but said this move would not produce the environment that this project is trying to achieve. Hopkins is still awaiting the plans from the hired architects before making a final decision.
"Master planners along with the University has made this more into a 25-year plan than one quick swoop due to the sheer amount of philanthropy and financial burdens that Hopkins is facing that they must overcome to look to the future of the new freshmen quad," Burger said.
