ALMOST all students will tell you that they enjoyed their first year at the University, regardless of where they lived. Yet there has been considerable opposition to the idea of providing a more enriching experience for first years by eliminating the choice between Alderman and McCormick Road residence halls. On the surface, the elimination of any choice seems like a bad idea, but in this instance, the reasons for making the change are quite compelling.
As stated in Student Council's housing proposal, which would eliminate the choice between Alderman and McCormick, there are no educational and programmatic differences between the two areas. In all first-year houses, the opportunities available as part of the first-year experience are identical. In contrast to residential colleges, first-year houses afford students a very close relationship with Resident Staff, unique self-governance systems through House Councils and First-Year Council, extensive interaction with faculty and administrators, a strong academic advising component, and numerous educational, cultural and social programs.
Additionally, Alderman and McCormick Roads have become unnecessarily segregated. Last year, 28.1 percent of Alderman Road residents were non-white, compared with 14.6 percent of McCormick Road residents. As studies indicate that most of us form friendships based on living arrangements in our first year, it should come as no surprise that self-segregation is so prevalent. When students are not encountering a diverse environment in their first-year houses, it makes sense that the broader University culture is suffering from a paucity of interactions between different racial and ethnic groups.
Students admitted to the University should be particularly willing to meet people of different backgrounds. We are chosen to attend U.Va. because we demonstrated in high school a willingness to challenge ourselves in all facets of our life. When we arrive here, we are encouraged to continue pushing ourselves by taking difficult classes and pursuing leadership roles in extracurricular activities. After all, the people who get ahead in life are not the ones who wait for opportunities to come to them, but instead those who actively pursue challenges. Yet some students are quick to state that they would feel more "comfortable" living in a hall versus a suite or being around people with similar interests. This attitude is disappointing among students who supposedly welcome new challenges and opportunities in their lives.
Many students have said that they did not know much about either area before coming to the University and that they picked Alderman Road because they preferred the suite setup or McCormick Road because they felt more comfortable in a hall. In the resolution that Council passed over a week ago, student representatives reaffirmed this difference, opposing the current housing proposal based solely on the grounds that "the distinction in location and space is important."
However, these arguments rest on a shaky foundation. The distinction in physical space and location already has been compromised by the addition of Woody and Cauthen Houses - houses similar to the hall style of McCormick - in the Alderman Road area, with similar houses to be constructed in the near future as the size of the first-year class increases. Students can no longer be assured that picking Alderman Road will guarantee a suite, and many people with a hall preference cannot limit themselves to McCormick Road any longer.
Additionally, an examination of the history of dorm choice yields fascinating insight into this distinction. Less than a decade ago, students were able to indicate a specific house in which they desired to live, such as Lile or Bonnycastle. This option provided maximum choice and allowed for the greatest distinction in physical space and location, but obviously at tremendous cost. As one might imagine, many legacy students and students from the same high school became concentrated in certain dorms.
This housing proposal is about more than these meaningless choices. Just as we no longer allow students to choose specific houses, we should no longer permit a distinction between Alderman and McCormick Roads. The housing proposal firmly states that, rather than supporting arbitrary distinctions in physical space and location, first-year housing should support the institutional objectives of this University. Which do we value more - getting to pick a suite versus a hall or ensuring that first years have a valuable intellectual and social experience that supports the educational goals of the University?
We don't allow first-year students to have cars in their first semester, and we require all first years to live on-Grounds and have a meal plan. None of us complain about the fact that we have no choice in these matters because we understand that these mandates are crucial to the first-year experience and to the educational mission of the University. In the quest to make that first-year experience even more enriching, the housing proposal should be fully implemented.
(Nick Jabbour is a third-year College student. He is a Student Council representative.)
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