AS FIRST years arrive at the University, they are satisfied knowing that they have a place to live in dorms, and future housing seems an easy problem to solve somewhere in the distant future. Little do they know, New Dorms will soon be replaced. According to Assistant Director of Accommodations Cole Spencer, the structural problems caused "noticeable flaking and cracking of the concrete" in the buildings, so the dorms will be torn down and rebuilt. Near-Grounds dorms for non-first years are scarce, and housing is perhaps the biggest battle they will face.
The central problem with new "on-Grounds" housing is that new construction is moving farther and farther away. And as that occurs, student residents become less connected with the University, and as students become more isolated, safety conditions deteriorate. When one also considers that on-Grounds housing is simply cheaper, it is clear that University housing close to the University benefits everyone.
Right now, the University has 12,907undergraduates. Currently, on-Grounds housing is mandatory for first-year students and is guaranteed to second-year students who choose it. On-Grounds housing is available to third and fourth years only if space is open or if they already live there.
According to the University Housing Division, 48 percent of undergraduate students live "on-Grounds" and pay an average of nearly $3,000 per semester for room and board -- not a bad amount compared to the price of an off-Grounds apartment. But those statistics include first years who are required to live on-Grounds. As first years make up about one-fourth of the undergraduate population, less than one-third of second, third and fourth years live on-Grounds. The percentage who actually live within reasonable walking distance of Grounds issmaller.
Those numbers do not include graduate students, faculty or staff who need to live on or near Grounds. These groups compete with students for existing space. As a result, we students are moving farther and farther away from central Grounds.
What is being done to prevent this? The University of Virginia Foundation has purchased nearby apartments, and there is, of course, the plan to replace New Dorms. According to Chief Housing Officer Mark Doherty, "several geographic villages" are to be created that will expand the number of beds by at least 10 percent. Richard Kovatch, the University's assistant vice president for business operations, says that the "project is getting ready to initiate the first phase which calls for building two new residence halls to accommodate 220 to 250 beds." This project is an important step, but according to Kovatch it is not scheduled to start until 2006 and will take 12 years to complete.
What this project does not address is the long-term problem of providing housing for University students near Grounds apart from the problem of admissions growth. While steps are being taken, they are very slow, and construction is never on a definite time-table -- just look at the new O'Hill Dining Hall, which is now scheduled to open for dining by April but which will not be completely finished until this summer.
University students are supposed to be parts of a community, not apart from it. In addition to the New Dorms expansion, other areas in the vicinity of Gounds must be explored and developed -- areas such as those around and between the Alderman and Hereford dorms or along Emmet Street. Also, expansions such as the recently-built Ivy/Emmet parking garage could open up other parking lots near Grounds for residence construction.
Then there is, of course, the issue of how to pay for all of this. In the midst of the University's huge capital campaign, surely some funds can be diverted to provide for good housing near central Grounds. There is also the charter initiative, which offers to provide the funding needed to propel the University into a more successful financial future where construction projects will be easier to undertake and finance.
On-Grounds housing will likely always be playing catch-up with the student population. But on-Grounds housing is moving farther and farther away from central Grounds and catering to fewer and fewer upperclassmen. Spaces near Grounds must be better utilized, spending priorities must be set, and a sound financial future must be ensured. Fortunately, we live in a capitalist, democratic country, and it is those principles that must be employed if we are to succeed.
Allan Cruickshanks is a Cavalier Daily Viewpoint Writer.
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