Residents call '97-'98 housing restrictions unfair

by HollieHavens copy editor

With the housing lottery days away, a petition protesting resident life's housing configurations for 1997-1998 circulated the campus, receiving residents' signarures. Two hundred and seventy-seven signatures to be exact.

This number is more than half of the students living on campus.

The petition, created by first-year student Jo¢an Mariano, protests the provisions placed on the resident houses for the next school year, calling the restrictions "unfair."

The restrictions being protested are the special interest housing provisions placed on three of the seven houses. House two will have extended quiet hours starting at 8 p.m. House four will be an alcohol and substance-free residence and House five will be a smoke-free building.

Cathy Caulfield, director of resident life, responded to the petition that she received on Wednesday, April 2.

"The lateness of the petition restricted our ability to react to it," Caulfieldsaid.

According to Caulfield, the housing configurations went out the last week in February.

Mariano contests that ··therewa.-,n 't any time to do anything."

"I could have gotten more signatures, but I wa~ under time pressure," Mariano, who returned his survey, said. "But, obviously, these signatures prove that students don't want these changes."

Caulfield said that the provisions made were based upon what the students wanted, according to the results of a survey distributed last semester to residents.

"Many people returned the surveys expressing interest in alcoholfree and extended quiet hour housing," Caulfield said.

Mariano said he had not spoken to Caulfield about the petition.

"I even included ITIYpager number on the petition," Mariano said. "I was always available to talk to."

He also expected a better response from administration.

"Students that included their box numbers on the petition would still like a written response from at least one person who received the letter," Mariano said. Although Mariano is unhappy with the housing configurations, he does not want to live off campus.

Junior John Mack is a member of the Housing Committee which assists resident life in housing concerns. He also assisted Mariano in circulating the petition and getting signatures. Mack signed the petition.

According to Mack, the housing committee was allowed to preview the survey, but the members were told that the surveys were to be used as guidelines.

·Toe members were not told that the surveys would have such a big impact on next year," Mack said. "I made my feelings clear on special interest housing to the staff from the very beginning."

Mack did not fill out his survey.

When told this statement, Caulfield responded, "Why would we ask these questions if we weren't going to do something with the results?

Mack believes that the restrictions are unfair, especially to men. "House six is the only house for men without restrictions," Mack said.

"Everything is based on our percentage of men and women on campus," Caulfield said. "It is all a numbers game. The reality is that the percentage of housing available to men and to women is in accordance with my statistics - 30 percent men on campus and 70 percent women.

Sophomore Ty Ross signed the petition because he believes the housing is unfair.

"I want to live on campus," Ross said, "but if I can't get into either of the normal houses for men, then I'm going to commute."

First-year student Andy Vntue also signed thepetitionand helped to get signatures from students.

"Jordan did all the work,"' Vntue said. "It angered me that the resident life staff could make \uch an outstanding decision without more student input. They shouldn't be able to make these decisions without the consent of the students."

1997-1998 Student Government Association executive board candidates President

Hollie Havens Andrew Burke

Vice President

Lisa Mininno John Mack Treasurer

Jasmine Paulino Andrew Virtue

Corresponding Secretary

Stacey Caiazzo

Recording Secretary

Michele McDevitt Lori Henderson

Parliamentarian

Tamika Warner James Williams

Sophomore Bridget Egan returned her survey and signed the petition due to its results.

"I don't think that they [resident life] are meeting the needs of all the students," Egan said. "There is not enough diverse housing, especially for men. It discourages people from living on campus."

Caulfield agreed. "It may discourage people from living on campus;' Caulfield said, "but it also creates more housing options for the students."

One of Mariano's suggestions to solve the problem is to have the res• idents in each house decide what rules and restrictions the building should follow.

"I think students will ignore the rules," Mariano said. " The RAs will not be able to enforce them. Not many people want quiet hours while the sun is still out."

"I feel that there will be more problems than ever before next year," Mack said. "Dictatorship leads to rebellion," Vntue said.

Like Mack,Virtue and Mariano, Caulfield foresees problems in the future.

"I anticipate some problems next year because of the severe penalties involved with the violation of restrictions," Caulfield said. "Some things will need to be worked out."

Although Caulfield did not feel the petition would change the housing configurations for next year, she said that the smoking restriction on House four has been lifted.

CABRll\I COf_LEGE THEATER PRESEA'TS

This & That

0 The second annual "Dash for Organ Donor Awareness," a 10k run and 3k walk, is scheduled for Sunday, April 20. It will launch National Organ and Tissue Donor Awareness Week in the Delaware Valley.

The 10k run will begin at the Philadelphia Museum of Art at 10 a.m. followed by the 3k walk which will begin at 10:45 a.m.

Both the run and walk will take place along the Schuylkill River on West River Drive.

For registration forms and information, call 1-800-5436391.

0 Random Quote: "The existence of morons is reason enough not to support cloning."