After years of construction, the College will complete the renovation of first-year dorms by the fall of 2007. With the completion of the renovations combined with the construction of East and West halls, the total number of first-year dorms will rise from six to eight.
This brings to the forefront a question that has become increasingly salient for Director of Residential Life Kim Pacelli: Should there be two new college houses to accompany the new dorms?
For the past few months, Pacelli has been consulting with various students, faculty, and administrators to determine what should happen.
"We have been deciding whether or not we should do it," said Pacelli. "Process is one of the things we are thinking carefully about."
Among the major concerns is the potential location of the two new houses. According to Pacelli, these new houses, if created, will be most likely occupy Burnett House and Reed House (formerly Boody Street).
"There really aren't any other possibilities," Pacelli said.
Another consideration is whether or not one of the new social houses should become a "quiet" house, similar to the idea of chem-free housing. As the applicants for chem-free housing rose to a record level of 110 applicants last year, Pacelli and the Inter-House Council (IHC) have been considering the possibility of creating a "quiet" first-year dorm that is not chem-free, but that is dedicated to creating a quiet and relaxed environment.
"I think there are a lot of people who don't necessarily want to live in an alcohol-free environment, but want to live in a quiet environment," said Alex Lamb '07, president of the IHC.
Future affiliations between the first-year dormitories and college houses are also in doubt. The College violated the IHC constitution this year by changing the affiliations between first-year dorms and houses.
"There are lots of people who want to bring the affiliations back to what they were," said Lamb.
According to Pacelli, the switch was necessary because of the number of incoming first years that requested to live in chem-free housing.
"The capacities of the first-year buildings are smaller than they were before," she said.
For Pacelli, IHC has played a large role in the information-gathering process. Pacelli began consulting IHC on the issue at the beginning of the fall semester. Through focus groups and meetings, Pacelli has been using the IHC to gauge student reaction about the prospects of two new college houses.
"The Inter-House Council is a great conduit for me," said Pacelli.
According to Lamb, IHC reaction has been mostly positive about adding two new college houses.
"I think a lot of people feel it's important that every first-year dorm has a specific college house," Lamb said. "Splitting affiliations could get complicated."
There are, however, several concerns that Pacelli and the IHC have been discussing in relation to adding social houses. One of the most pressing problems would be losing one chem-free upperclass residence by changing Reed House to a social house. For Pacelli, having sufficient chem-free spaces is a priority.
Another problem being considered is the destruction of tradition and community developed in Reed House and Burnett House.
"We have thought a lot about how we'd be displacing the communities that exist there," said Lamb. "We'd be looking at these people as possible applicants to the College House System."
Many also have expressed concern that by adding two new college houses, the system will simply become too big.
"It could go from being dominant to being the only social scene on campus," said Lamb.
Pacelli emphasized that there are many decisions yet to be made, but expects to have a decision in time for the housing lottery. Pacelli hopes to gather more feedback during the time before the lottery, and urges students to e-mail her with their recommendations.
"I don't want to be the arbiter of the decisions," she said.
Dean of Student Affairs Tim Foster, in an email to the Orient, also urged students to contribute their opinions.
"Do we want to continue to have a college house affiliated with each first-year Brick?" he wrote.
"Is there enough demand for another chem-free building or possibly quiet space? Is there interest in a wellness building that would focus on healthy lifestyles and feature programs like yoga, meditation, etc.?" Foster asked.
Foster recommended that students send their thoughts on the issue to Pacelli or Lamb.