Future first-year students may not have the option of suffering through the grueling Old Dorms vs. New Dorms decision. Tabled almost two years ago, Student Council again is debating a proposal to eliminate first-year housing choice in an attempt to promote diversity.
Currently, 365 more minority and international students live in the Alderman Road residence halls than in the McCormick Road residence halls.Minority students comprise 12 percent of the population of McCormick Road dormitories, as opposed to 30 percent of the Alderman Road dormitories.
Council President Micah Schwartz said combating this discrepancy outweighs the disadvantages of disallowing choice.
"It's taking away choice to create a better college experience. Having students of different backgrounds and ethnicities living together trumps the hall [or] suite choice," Schwartz said.
He said eliminating housing choice is similar to other limitations the University places on students, including driving regulations.
But minority group leaders, while claiming the University eventually should eliminate first-year housing choice, said this change should not happen next year.
"The Coalition will oppose the elimination of choice in first-year housing," Coalition Chairman Ryan McCarthy said.
The Coalition includes the leaders of the Black Student Alliance, the National Organization for Women, the Latino Student Alliance, the Queer Student Union and the Asian Student Union.
McCarthy, who also serves as Council's coordinator of University committees, said increasing housing diversity by eliminating choice is "a good policy at the wrong time," because the proposal does not provide adequate replacements for the peer support offered to minorities now living in Alderman Road residence halls.
"Before this happens there should be both more minorities at the University and more administrative support for them," he said. "What students have at Alderman is a peer support network. If you take this away, you need more administrative support to replace it."
He said the benefits of diversifying living areas are currently outweighed by potential problems they would create for minority students who may feel isolated in newly diversified dormitories.
"This will increase the experience of some students but at the risk of jeopardizing the experience of others," he said. "If you become the one minority on your hall, your experience will be lesser."
Ed Hallen, chairman of Council's racial and ethnic affairs committee, said the committee has designed plans for such increased support.
Hallen said the committee advocates increased diversity training for Resident Staff and a mandatory diversity seminar for all first years, which he hopes eventually would expand into a multicultural education requirement for all students.
He stressed the need to eliminate first-year dorm choice this year to increase diversity at the University immediately.
"The racial situation at the University is such that it's segregated and that situation is deteriorating," he said."We can't afford to wait another year and let another first-year class have an un-diverse experience."
But McCarthy disagreed.
"It should happen but it's the wrong time," he said.
Officials said they do not know when the full Council will review the proposal, but that, in the meantime, discussions will continue. A final decision by the administration would be required for such a policy to take effect.
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