Yuri Castano | Competition for the College Houses

Welcome back, Trammell Crow! We wish you lots of success in opening The Stratum this fall.

Penn students living in a luxury residence hall at 36th and Ludlow streets, a block from campus, who would of thought it?

You'll certainly turn some heads over at the College Houses and Academic Services office, not to mention save needy students the trouble of cleaning their own toilet. Just remember, try and keep your prices low. Not all of our parents can break the bank to make sure we never have an inconsistent brew of coffee.

In 1998, Penn made history by outsourcing management of its on-and off-campus facilities to the development firm Trammell Crow.

The multi-million dollar contract with a for-profit firm was the first of its kind in higher education. In 2002, just five years later, the University ended its relationship with the company on account of its inefficiency, understaffing and inadequate and disorganized service.

But what's past is past. It's round two for Trammell Crow as they continue to push the idea that for-profit firms can outperform universities in providing services to students. The Stratum, which will be run by Campus Advantage, a preeminent student-housing management firm, will mimic Penn's college house model.

Trammell Crow is privatizing residential life.

Students hired by The Stratum as Community Assistants will play the role of college house residential assistants, minus the duty of rule enforcement. There will be community programming such as taking residents to baseball games, and bringing in guest lecturers.

"Our residential life program really revolves around getting the people that live there the things they need to succeed in school," said Joe Kewish, a senior associate at Trammell Crow.

The Stratum will provide a meal plan as well; students will have access to four-star chef cooking at the Access Cafe and Bistro located on the bottom floor of the building.

Job opportunities in the leasing office will parallel those at information desks in the college houses. Students will lease on a 10-month contract, avoiding subletting problems, and all utilities, meals and amenities will be covered by one fee.

"It's a one-stop shop, everything that you need is going to be here in this building," said Bill Layman, general manager of The Stratum. The Stratum will provide fully furnished, air-conditioned rooms and include amenities like a weekly maid service, a state of the art fitness center, a tea room serving the latest teas and even two tanning beds, to name just a few.

With The Stratum assuming roles traditionally occupied by the University, greater scrutiny must be placed on Penn for the "several missed opportunities to bring the college house system to the next level," said Sandy Schwartz, faculty master of Fisher Hassenfeld College House.

Only 260 students will be housed, and will include Drexel as well as Penn students; number wise, The Stratum won't pose significant competition to the college house system.

What it does do, however, is make the University look bad. It is being one upped by a private company able to appeal to students by holding a Community Assistant in one hand and dangling a maid in the other.

If The Stratum succeeds, the only thing stopping other private companies from mimicking its model would be the University's stranglehold on real estate, not the most honorable source of protection for the University's housing system. When contacted to respond to the The Stratum's unique setup, College Houses and Academic Services failed to comment.

While The Stratum might spur the College House offices to act, its higher pricing may serve to increase economic inequalities at Penn.

Prices at The Stratum run around $150 to $200 more per month than the most expensive housing and meal plan option on-campus, according to Layman.

Kewish argued that "we're not asking just the rich kids to come move in and pay a lot of money. We're looking to provide all the students with an alternative."

There is a disconnect between Trammell Crow and Campus Advantage, however, as Layman acknowledged, "We're not trying to appeal to the masses by any means here."

In the end, while for-profits firms may be more in tune with how to please their clients, their concern for student safety and well being will always remain in question. Tanning beds, with all their health risks, for instance, may cater a little too much to student desires.

Trammell Crow may fair far better in round two. They've figured out how to combine community life with luxury without gouging students' wallets, too much. College Houses and Academic Services could take a few pointers from them. When The Stratum opens up in the fall, let's hope the cost of economic equality on campus isn't too high.

Yuri Castano is a College sophomore from Mexico City, Mexico. His e-mail address is castano@dailypennsylvanian.com. Bringing the n Back appears on Wednesdays.

Please note All comments are eligible for publication in The Daily Pennsylvanian.