House report draws praise

Student leaders said they are excited about a report drafted by Vice Provost for University Life Kim Morrisson proposing an expansion of the residential college system at the University to include all undergraduates. Morrisson presented the report, which calls for the creation of six residential colleges, to the student leaders at a dinner earlier this week. "I was very excited by [the report]," Undergraduate Assembly Chairperson Jeff Lichtman said earlier this week. "I think it is a good step towards creating an environment for bringing students together and making them feel a part of the campus. That sort of environment is a rarity right now." Lichtman said he is particularly encouraged by discussions with Morrisson that indicated planners will be looking to create residential college houses with "Quad-like architecture," and which would appeal to upperclass students in terms of both design and cost. The UA will play a key role in the discussion of the proposal, Lichtman added. "We as a body are going to tear the report apart and decide if this is something students want," said Lichtman, a College senior. "If we determine this is the direction students want the University to move in, we'll get behind the report and push for its implementation." Lichtman said that he had already distributed the report to the chairpersons of the UA's Residential Living and Dining Committee and the Campus Facilities Committee. He added that he had offered to co-sponsor a forum with Morrisson that would allow interested students to meet with Morrisson in her office to ask questions about the proposal. Student Activities Council Chairperson Brandon Fitzgerald said the dinner with Morrisson was very productive. He said they discussed what students like about the University's residences, namely the Quad with its communal space and grass, and what they do not like about them -- cost. "When it costs more to live on campus than off, no one will ever want to live in University residences," he said. "This has to be changed in the future." Fitzgerald added that discussions have focused not only on the building of new facilities, but also on the creation of a "new infrastructure" to provide for more communication between students. "We need to create a different culture here at the University," he said. "This might be accomplished through [inter-college house] competitions, classes being taught in the college houses and other programs." UA Vice Chairperson Kirsten Bartok said she sees the plan as the University taking steps "to reinfranchise members of the University community." "Penn has always been decentralized and tended to alienate its students," said Bartok, a College junior. "This plan moves away from that. It may take a long time and a lot of money, but it is possible." Bartok said the college system would avoid limiting students' independence and that Morrisson was "very aware" of the need to reduce the high cost of University living. Social Planning and Events Committee Chairperson Anne Todd said that she supports the proposal but that she has heard other students voice concerns. "I think more discussion of this report is needed," College senior Todd said. "Penn is unique [from other schools with residential college systems] because of the different class size and its location in the middle of a large city, and I don't know if this system is applicable to us." Panhellenic Council President Debbie Frank said she supports the plan, calling it "definitely realistic." "I think students would prefer to be able to live on campus as long as the type of living that they would find on campus would be comprabable to that found off-campus," College senior Frank said. "Right now, a lot of students find that it's cheaper or even safer to live off campus and this should be changed." Frank said she likes the report's discussion of creating a more communal atmosphere at the University. "It's a good idea to have a common place where students can meet and socialize," Frank said. "People need to have a stake in the university and the community. I think by moving off campus students lose that feeling of being a part of the campus and the University community." Several student leaders agreed that the implementation of any residential college plan will depend in large part on the University's financial situation over the next several years.