On Feb. 24, the Georgetown Undergraduate Student Association passed a resolution introduced by Sen. Abigail Cooner (SFS ‘16) to increase the transparency of Housing Services’ room change policy. While the GUSA bill successfully identifies a key issue that continues to plague students—the lack of a clear, predictable operating procedure for filling housing vacancies—it is limited in scope and effect. To adequately address the failures of student housing, broad-based reform of the system is needed.
Students have been continually dissatisfied with the way that Housing handles roommate changes, particularly with the the limited warnings given by the housing office when filling a vacancy in an apartment or dorm room. Little or no information regarding the incoming roommate is given to current residents, often leading to complicated, contentious situations. Students often move out of a given residence for very specific and sometimes unsavory reasons, but these are rarely if ever communicated to new roommates before a move-in.
The GUSA resolution commends a recent change in the language used in the transition emails sent by Housing to the roommates welcoming a new student, as well as their establishment of a clear 24-hour warning before move-ins. But, while recognition of these issues is necessary, GUSA must go farther to make housing reassignments smoother. In the interest of all roommate parties involved, the warning time before move-ins should be extended and more background information about each roommate should be given to better prepare students for a new living situation.
The housing process also causes unnecessary grief for students planning to study abroad. With the housing selection process for sophomores being so early in the academic year, many are left without on-campus housing plans for the following year. The lack of clarity in the entire process does little to alleviate the difficulty to these students. It is imperative for Housing to ensure that students have access to a simplified system for housing selection and roommate changes, perhaps even by consolidating the various web platforms that exist for academics, housing, GOCards, and student extracurricular activities.
While we are confident that the new GUSA executive will be able to make headway on many of Housing’s current issues, it will need to take a more proactive stance if it is to enact serious reform. The administration, too, must give this issue the attention it deserves simplifying the process to accommodate student needs. We hope that students and administrators will find substantial ways to collaborate in order to improve student life on campus and give them more of a say in how they live, and who lives with them.
