Wednesday night, administrators and University architects unveiled a redesigned plan for the North East Triangle, the latest attempt to placate the neighbors by moving students back on campus. The dorm, to be situated on one of the few green spaces on campus across from Reiss Science Center, has been a point of contention since plans for it were released in July and sparked rage from students and Georgetown residents alike.
Following the plan’s initial release, most of the complaints had to do with the hideous design. Whether the new, stonier exterior of the Northeast Triangle is an improvement is a matter of taste. What’s more troubling is that the University is looking to build a new dorm at all.
If the Northeast Triangle is constructed, many juniors and seniors who would otherwise opt to live off-campus will be moved back on campus. These students generally don’t want what Northeast Triangle offers—suite-style dorm living. They want apartments or houses. So, the Northeast Triangle is to be primarily sophomore dorms. The University understands this fact, and Vice President for Student Affairs Todd Olson told the crowd at the forum they plan to renovate on-campus apartments like Henle and Village A to attract older students. Such improvements would be welcome, but it strikes this board as unlikely that a large number of upperclassmen would elect to live on campus if they have reasonably-priced options a few blocks away.
And if they do, the consequences could be as painful for students. If upperclassmen return to campus in droves, seniors will take the townhouses, Alumni Square, and the choicest Village A and Nevils apartments. Juniors would occupy the rest of the apartments, with sophomores all in dorms. That arrangement would amount to a decrease in the quality of housing for everyone, even if the apartments were renovated.
Either way, if the University ever wants to completely placate the neighbors, a new dorm is not enough. If students shun Henle and other on-campus options in favor of off-campus living, the University will likely be pressured to take bigger steps, and the easy ones include subsidizing on-campus housing or even forcing juniors to live within the gates. Of course, no administrator would dare propose those things now, but if they don’t come up with a better solution for the neighbors than the Northeast Triangle, more drastic steps could be just around the corner.
