I am back this fall for my final year on campus, only this time, I'll be living off-campus. That's right: I'm in the process of fulfilling my final test toward becoming an independent young adult, mastering the ability to live, cook, clean and pay rent and bills all on my own.
I received an e-mail from Residential Life last week titled "Important City Ordinance Information." As someone who is learning to be a responsible member of the Providence community, I opened the e-mail with haste, only to scoff at its content. The second sentence of the e-mail reads, "If there are complaints about behavior at your residence, you can be moved back on campus and will not be granted off-campus permission again during your enrollment at Brown."
But the Office of Residential Life won't be able to find a room on campus to put me in if this happens, I thought.
I felt a little slighted at ResLife's disciplinary tone at this early stage of my off-campus adventure. After all, I have not made, nor am I intending to make, any systematic unchecked attempts at delinquent behavior in my first year of big-people life. While I recognize that many of the issues the email addressed needed to be reinforced for college students living alone for the first time, I could not help but be skeptical of ResLife's actual capabilities to carry out disciplinary action against the socially irresponsible — nor did I think the e-mail's discouraging words were justified.
After reading The Herald's Sept. 8 article, "Overcrowding causes unusual housing for some," I remembered the sophomore-year plight of several of my peers, who found themselves in uninsulated fraternity "libraries" or miniature study lounges instead of a decent living space. My own housing choice and decision to go off meal plan were thwarted last year, as the only kitchen in my hall, located so conveniently next to my room, was converted to a triple. How, I thought, can ResLife confidently assert that they could potentially revoke my off-campus permission, when the dormitories cannot possibly hold another student?
While ResLife's commitment to providing on-campus housing for all students who want it is admirable, this promise clearly cannot be implemented with the conditions of our dormitories as they are now. Overcrowding is a big issue, and it seems as if the problem will likely not go away unless Brown instantly gains a large number of new dormitory rooms. With an increasing matriculation rate and more students to accommodate with every new school year, it seems like a daunting possibility that all our dormitories' lounges and kitchens could become bedrooms in the very near future.
Currently, while Brown seniors are all guaranteed off-campus permission if they choose to request it, it is definitely difficult for juniors, or younger students, to attain the same level of independence because of an on-campus residence requirement of six semesters. Also, many non-seniors usually receive their off-campus housing permission after local landlords' deadlines for leases to be signed, leaving students with such limited options for off-campus housing that some opt to live on campus instead. But it is clear, in light of our dorms' problems with overcrowding, that Brown students need increased access to off-campus housing permission.
Although new to apartment life, I believe that living off-campus is a good culmination of a well-rounded residential college experience. We are lucky to be in a city like Providence — not too large, yet definitely not a small town. Providence is very accessible, and there exist plenty of off-campus options, varying in price, for Brown students. With Brown's heavy focus on responsibility to the community and our campus' thorough integration into our surrounding demographics and geography, it is a surprise that Brown does not encourage students to seek out off-campus housing options more readily.
Living off-campus forces college students to address all the issues that ResLife's email detailed. Noise, trash, parties and relationships with neighbors are all important things that students at Brown need to learn to deal with. Off campus, students will (hopefully) no longer feel the desire to destroy the exit signs in their apartment buildings, pay more attention to keeping living areas clean and learn a thing or two about paying rent and bills. Any opportunities for students to encounter these responsibilities should be encouraged by the University. It is probably likely that there will be some cases of neighborhood disturbances and disciplinary issues with Providence police, but I am confident that Brown students have the intelligence and ability to act responsibly when given a good opportunity to do so.
I would like to propose that the University relieve the lottery-unlucky from their study lounge fates. Making living off campus easier for Brown students will not only reduce problems of overcrowding in our dorms, but will also encourage students to become more responsible members of the Providence community.
Sarah Yu '11 no longer has displaced sophomores living in her kitchen. She can be reached at xia_yu@brown.edu.
