NYU housing officials denied student concern that the university is subtly pushing students out of housing and reducing the number of beds for upperclassmen during a round-table discussion with WSN last week.
The officials addressed the concern raised by WSN's editorial board that NYU may be unable to house all the students who wish to live on-campus. The concerns were raised after the university gave sophomores first picks for room and dorm choices, which led to dismay among upperclassmen who felt they were being pushed to move off-campus. NYU gives students a four-year housing guarantee.
WSN senior staff members discussed these issues with housing director Jennifer Brown, auxiliary services Vice President Robert Kivetz, Student Affairs Vice President Wais, Residential Education Director Tom Ellett, university spokesman John Beckman and spokeswoman Kelly Franklin, last Thursday.
The university plans to maintain the number of beds at 12,000, Kivetz said, adding that the four-year housing guarantee makes the school more than just a commuter university.
Beckman said students may be unhappy with the changes because the university is looking toward to future of housing. He said that in a few years, students will not have similar concerns because the change will be fully implemented.
"You happen to be in this period where change is occuring. It's like that blessing-curse thing, to live in 'interesting times,' " Beckman said.
The Inter-Residence Hall Council was consulted - as well as students at IRHC townhall meetings - when NYU attempted to determine what students prefered for housing priority.
Sophomore "Preference"
The administrators emphasized the importance of using the term "sophomore preference" instead of "sophomore cluster," as was previously used. The university is no longer promoting the grouping of sophomores to create a community, but is looking to create a community-building atmosphere with exploration floors and other Residential Education programs, Beckman said.
A cluster would put all sophomores in Union Square dorms or Lafayette Street residence hall, but Kivetz said this would prevent sophomores who wanted to live in other dorms, such as Water Street, from doing so.
But Wais said giving sophomores preference may end up forming a de facto sophomore cluster in Union Square.
Kivetz went on to mention the "sophomore slump" and how administrators decided to pay special attention to the sophomore class.
Lottery
The housing department gives top priority to Residential Education programs, like explorations floors and the residential college, followed by the sophomore class, with seniors and juniors last.
Students who enrolled in the newly created Residential College at Broome Street have already been placed. Ellett said all but 14 beds are accounted for.
Students not yet placed are currently in the "lottery card submission" stage, where they apply for housing with roommates they wish to live with. This stage is followed by dorm and room selection.
Last year, 500 students were not able to participate in the housing lottery but were placed by May 15 after other students cancelled their housing reservations, requested leaves of absence or were accepted to study abroad programs.
Brown said it is possible that some students will not be able to make their selection during the time of the lottery, but that the students who were unable to select during the lottery last year fared much better than students who did go through the process.
"We are monitoring that and watching that and making preparations to deal with that," she said.
Bed Spaces
The administrators said they would prefer to have the undergraduates closer to the Washington Square campus, and look at the loss of the Cliff Street and Water Street dorms as a possible opportunity to find dorms closer to campus.
"Yes, Cliff Street is being closed this summer, the lease at Water Street expires in two years, however all of our other leased properties have long-term leases associated with them," Kivetz said. "We plan to have 12th Street open in the fall of '09, which coincidentally coincides with the closing of Water Street. So, there is a method to our madness."
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