Residential plans' impact unknown

With no timetable yet, it is hard to predict how the plans will eventually affect students' lives. Administrators hail the plans for residential life articulated in the recently released Brownlee and Biddison Hier reports as a workable model for programmatic and structural changes to on-campus residences. But until officials establish a timetable and identify funding, it remains unclear how much the proposed "residential communities" plan will differ from earlier models of community-based living, which have been proposed over the years. A few features do distinguish the recently released vision from earlier ones. The new plans couple structural and programmatic changes, while the earlier "college house" and "virtual college" models were limited to program-specific changes to enhance community within residences. In addition, the new system defines the 16 "residential communities" as made up of 400-500 students each, while the earlier models did not state a specific size for the communities. A further difference is that this model includes students who live in fraternity or sorority houses in the plan. Plans to revise the current residential system date back to University President Judith Rodin's arrival at Penn in 1994, when she announced programs to incorporate academics into the residences. The Residential Faculty Council then expanded on that vision with the "virtual college" plan. Four pilot programs -- two of which were later canceled due to a lack of student interest -- tested out some of these ideas. The consulting firm Biddison Hier was hired last August to conduct a facilities audit of on-campus residences, and the Brownlee committee began its analysis of programmatic changes in February. Using the data from Biddison Hier, Art History Professor David Brownlee said his committee was "specifically told to design a program for residential communities" -- also a goal of previous plans. Administrators admit that the success of this latest program relies on the ability to attract more students back to campus, as well as entice them to remain on campus. Provost Stanley Chodorow said, "in the long run, [the system] wouldn't run if we couldn't do that." A stated goal of the administration's agenda in revamping residential life is to encourage an additional 10-12 percent of undergraduates to remain in campus dormitories. To that end, Chodorow has indicated, planners will focus on attracting sophomores back on campus. But so far, there are no plans to mandate that. Administrators involved in the planning have been optimistic about the ability to attract students into the new system, provided the "right kinds of living arrangements" are available. "Modest renovations" will likely occur first, in order to get the program off the ground, Brownlee said. Construction of new apartment-style housing in Superblock is also among proposed options, but would probably occur only if more students expressed interest in living on campus. Current campus residences can only hold approximately 53 percent of undergraduates, so if these plans realize their goals, new construction would be necessary. The vision articulated by administrators would result in practically no changes -- programmatically or structurally -- to King's Court/English House or the current college houses, Brownlee said. Even as more solid plans develop, administrators say they still want to preserve student freedom to choose their living situation. But allowing this freedom may mean the face of residential living won't change significantly. Although the new residences are supposed to eliminate specifically first-year housing and erase boundaries between classes in residences, freshmen may continue to choose the more structured communities of the Quadrangle and other current first-year housing, while upperclassmen may still opt for the greater independence of the high rises. Alternatively, students might be encouraged to move back on campus, or choose to retain their rooms, in order to take advantage of the new advising and support services that will be available in each residence. And the renovations may serve to change the dynamics of current residences, offering appealing options for students of all classes.