Controversial Housing Changes

it comes to qualifications for national events. Quarterman touched on this by explaining, “Something I really enjoy about the ski team is the fact that we are one team, not Hobart or William Smith, but one group. We practice and race together, which creates a really great team atmosphere.” This is something that could possibly change with the new teams being created.

There is already a big-time commitment for the current team that will likely increase and become more strictly monitored with change to the varsity level. Questions have arisen including: Will there still be room on the team for students who do not race or are not planning to race in upcoming seasons? Is there still an opportunity for a club team that these skiers may be a part of and how will that club interact, if at all, with the varsity teams?

Students Speak Out Against Recent Housing Changes

By Claire Kapitan ‘24 Staff Writer

On February 16th, 2022, housing information regarding the application and selection process for new Link Housing for the 2022-2023 school year was released by Student Engagement. The email outlined a reframing of theme housing, which was received with confusion as students began to understand the realities of these changes.

Many theme houses had been discontinued or displaced without communication to the residents of the affected houses, with the intent of some student housing being turned into office space. Student autonomy was also called into question with the emphasis of faculty input and departmental involvement in the rethinking of theme housing. Students began to organize in protest of these changes, both on campus and on social platforms with the HWS Housing Coalition.

An online petition was shared among students that demanded transparency and a reevaluation of these changes, which acquired over 400 signatures. As a result, William Smith Congress and Hobart Student Government were able to organize two meetings with representatives from the Office of Campus Life to clarify student concerns: the first on February 22nd with Jenna Konyak, Associate Director of Housing, and the second on March 1st with Becca B. Barile, Vice President for Campus Life and Dean of Students, and Shelle Basilio, Associate Dean of Students.

At these meetings, many students voiced their concerns surrounding the lack of communication and student autonomy with the implementation of these changes. There were also concerns over the lack of separation between faculty involvement and their respective student theme house. Because theme houses are assigned faculty advisors and departments to facilitate programming and community, many students feared that their private living spaces would become public.

As a result of hearing these concerns, many of the housing changes have since been altered or retracted by Student Engagement. The decision to discontinue the Cultural Connections House, a valued safe space for POC at a predominantly white institution, was acknowledged as a mistake. The Cultural Connections House will remain at their home, 730 South Main, for the following school year.

Similarly, after negative feedback surrounding the discontinuation of theme proposals, the processes for submitting theme house proposals will remain the same, allowing for new ideas to be considered yearto-year. There will now also be weekly drop-in meetings for students with building and maintenance concerns in an effort to promote dialogue around housing.

Although many revisions have been made to the initial plan regarding Link Housing in the 2022-2023 school year, there are still losses to student living options. Two student houses, the Sill House (623 South Main) and the Carr Mcguire House (775 South Main) are being converted into office space. Although the theme houses residing in these spaces have been relocated, these decisions raise questions of priority. Some of the nicest spaces on campus are being converted from student living to offices— spaces that can no longer be fully enjoyed or utilized by students.

The demonstrated efforts of students to preserve their living communities proves how vital safe and inclusive spaces are on campus and how important a variety of housing options are at an institution that requires four years of on-campus living.

Please look to our next issue for more in-depth coverage of this developing situation