The problem with living at Penn

Before coming to Penn, many considerations played a role in why I wanted to attend. Academics? Of course. Connections? That, too! However, of all the things I considered, dining and housing were some of my top priorities. It is the general expectation of incoming students to have a comfortable transition to college through Penn’s Residential Services. All students should have confidence in the fact that if they need help regarding anything pertaining to housing or dining while they live on campus, the University is able to meet those needs effectively.

However, since Penn ranks at a B and C level for these aspects of the student experience, respectively, it is safe to say the University has, on multiple occasions, failed to meet that standard.

For students, housing and dining are not luxuries. Rather, they are necessities that shape the day-to-day experience of living and learning on our campus. Given that our school now costs over $90,000 annually, the quality of those necessities often feels inconsistent with the cost of attendance. Students are paying such a high price each year not only for classes, but for the promise of a safe, clean, and reliable living environment. When those expectations are not met, the discrepancy becomes impossible to ignore. 

Meal plans are mandatory for underclassmen living on campus, but students tend to opt out toward the end of their time here. While this system is likely intended to help younger students adjust to living alone, it often makes the experience of living on campus feel more like a punishment than a benefit, due to the poor quality of our dining halls. Limited hours and inconsistent food quality can make what should be a simple part of daily life unnecessarily frustrating. When students pay for a service, they should be able to rely on that service meeting a consistent standard of quality.

As students, we should be comfortable with putting our trust in an administration that will provide something as basic as nourishment. However, this is not always the case. It is reasonable for Penn dining to make it possible for all students to enjoy quality food without fearing that their meals weren’t handled properly.

Housing presents its own set of challenges. Maintenance delays, aging infrastructure, and cleanliness concerns are not uncommon stories shared across dormitories. However, if there is a major issue directly affecting students in their living spaces, it is the general assumption that it is handled immediately rather than weeks or months after. While no university housing system will ever be perfect, the frequency of these delays is unacceptable.

For example, Penn sees major floods and other challenges due to the age of our infrastructure and the impact of severe weather. When stories like these ones circulate among students, they become symbols for broader frustration. They represent the feeling that everyday realities of campus life fall short of the polished image presented to prospective students. 

Universities often speak about the “student experience” as a central part of their mission. If that commitment is genuine, then dining and housing must be treated as essential components of student well-being rather than something that can falter in quality. Transparent communication about maintenance timelines, meaningful investment in dining services, and stronger accountability for campus facilities would be a good place to start. 

At the end of the day, Penn students are not asking for perfection. Instead, what we are asking for is the condition to match the price. If we are paying for the full experience, the University should ensure that the basics are delivered with the same excellence that Penn promises in its classrooms. Surely, this would improve the quality of life on campus.

ZOE MACKEY is a sophomore studying Political Science and International Relations from Philadelphia, PA. Her email is zmackey@sas.upenn.edu.