NOT MANY people fully understand the implica-tions of the First Year Housing Proposal. As a Student Council representative, I was first introduced to it last semester as SR01-7, "A resolution supporting the ad-hoc enrollment committee proposal." It seemed like a relatively amicable idea, but then I thought on it a little more, talked to other students, and now I realize that it has far greater social ramifications. Last semester, Council was not as divided on the issue, but now after more thought and fact gathering, some representatives have had a change of heart.
I oppose the housing proposal because it is direct attempt at social engineering. Since reports indicate that there are approximately 100 more minorities living in Alderman Road than McCormick Road residence halls, the First Year Housing Working Group, an ad hoc committee composed of Assistant Dean of Students Angela Davis, Housing Director John Evans, Assistant Dean of Students Tabitha Gray, Assistant Dean of African American Affairs Neil Bynum, and Director of Orientation and New Student Programs Eleanor Sparagana, wrote a memorandum to the enrollment committee proposing to change the first year housing application process in hopes that the proposal will, "Intentionally encourage students to select their first year housing assignment based on education and program opportunities, rather than distinctions in physical space and location, which support institutional educational objectives."
Even though the working group would play down the role of race in their recommendation, one cannot deny that it was motivated by race. Office of African American Affairs Dean M. Rick Turner said, "Race statistics in University housing should not be an important issue. Students have the right to live where they want to live and live where they feel comfortable. They're making decisions based on their comfort level."
As a first year I lived in the new dorms and hung out with a mix of people. Some of my black friends were not accustomed to hanging out with other races, even those who lived with non-black roommates, so they hung out with other blacks. Racial self-selection is something that not even the proposal can evade, because it is a comfort issue dealing with personal choice, not a housing issue. The proposal does not get to the real root of the issue that it is supposed to address: racial stratification.
As a Resident Coordinator, I gather that the role of Residence Life and the Housing Division is to facilitate a positive and safe environment for residents. The proposal does not take into account the differences in physical location and structure, but instead considers "types of things that occur" in particular living areas. The proposal attempts to make first year experience better; however, it neglects to consider the academic ramifications that may arise. Not everyone is meant to live in a suite set-up; first years should have the right to decide for themselves where they will best adjust to the University's academic climate.
First years make their dorm choice based on the type of environment they want to live in, halls or suites, in addition to recommendations from friends and family who have lived in the dorms. As a university that supports and encourages student self-government and empowerment, I find it extremely inconsistent that some faculty and deans would support taking dorm choice away from first years. First years should have the right to live where they want to live.
Why not make housing completely random? I am puzzled that supporters of the proposal consider social living environment as a factor in the debate for first years, but they could care less where upperclassmen live, and how the upperclassmen areas are racially divided. The working group is not actively trying to make Faulkner and Copeley less black.
Another area of inconsistency is the Rodman and Echols scholar living arrangement, especially since the working group maintains, "The goal of the proposal is to enhance the intellectual environment, to offer a dynamic learning experience through housing areas, and to generate a more diverse atmosphere insomuch as it provides first years the opportunity to interact with others through a value-based approach." This so-called value-based approach does nothing less than separate people according to their race. By separating the scholars, how would they be meeting the goal of enhancing an intellectual environment and contributing to a dynamic living experience?
Supporters of the proposal hope that it will facilitate more cross-cultural interactions, so they propose social engineering in hopes that it will have long-term effects for first years. What happens after first year? It seems that first year friends do stick together; however, from what I have seen, racial stratification still exists, even with people who lived with a roommate of a different race. Selecting housing assignments for first years provides no guarantee that the first years will choose to befriend, or even continue relations with their roommates of other races.
I recall the Grounds for Discussion scene where the white roommate does not get along with her black roommate. Even though they live together, they still choose different social circles. The housing proposal is not the answer. One compromise, suggested by University law student Lesley Pate, is giving first years the choice of suites or halls. This would address the central issue, living environment. We do not come to school to be guinea pigs in social engineering experiments, we come as scholars to seek out our occupational destinies and gain a greater knowledge of ourselves and the world around us.
(Monique Miles is a third-year College student. She is a Student Council representative.)
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