Author: Lucy Feickert
Residential Education and Housing Services (ResEd) officials answered questions from about 20 students at the Senate’s first Open Forum on Tuesday, Oct. 29. Topics of discussion included the newly implemented First Year Residential Experience (FYRE) program, ResEd programming and crowding in residence halls.
Associated Students of Occidental College (ASOC) President Nick McHugh opened the meeting, explaining the tardiness of ResEd officials was due to student emergencies. The meeting of the Senate Open Forum was in replacement of the General Assemblies that occurred last year, according to McHugh. Tuesday’s meeting specifically focused on housing and ResEd with Associate Dean of Students Tim Chang, Director of ResEd Chad Myers and Director of Student Life Tamara Rice present.
Undeclared major David Bader (first-year) spoke about his frustration with the FYRE program, which he described as blackmail, claiming that first year students were not informed they would have to participate in the program, which took a significant amount of time and repeated some of the content of orientation.
“Treat people like adults, and they’ll start acting like it,” Bader said in regards to the handling of alcohol policy education.
Bader left the meeting before ResEd officials could respond to his concerns.
Chang explained the purpose and structure of the FYRE program, which was originally conceived two and a half years ago and implemented for the first time this fall. FYRE was planned by five members of the class of 2013 who were involved in an independent study program under the direction of Chang and Associate Dean for Curriculum and Student Issues John Swift, according to Chang.
Myers, who is currently working on compiling a survey for program participants, said that in the future of the FYRE program, student input will be taken into account. ResEd will look at the content of the program, as well as the possibility of opening leadership opportunities to all students, as opposed to just Resident Advisors (RAs) who led it this fall, according to Myers.
Chang and Myers both expressed that they have received positive feedback about the program. Additionally, Chang said that at least two situations with students have been averted because of the resources and information the program provided students. However, The Occidental Weekly reported earlier in the semester that many students do not find FYRE helpful or engaging.
Following last weekend’s Toga dance and the news of future dance cancellations, the discussion turned to campus programming and events.
“There is actually quite a bit going on,” Chang said.
Myers explained the ResEd “Insomnia” programming that occurs every weekend, either on Friday or Saturday nights, after 10 p.m. Myers said the programming is planned by graduate hall coordinators and designed to offer students fun nighttime activities every weekend.
In response to concern over planning programming, Rice, Change and Myers urged students to contact Programming Board with ideas for events or to request help planning events.
Rice voiced interest in widening programming on campus so that campus events could occur more than once a month. She said that large events prompt students to get very amped up, whereas a larger quantity of smaller programs might decrease issues at events.
Students present also had questions for RedEd, whose main responsibility is the housing of students, about space allocation in residence halls, including the notion of “forced triples” and how students are selected to live off campus.
Rising juniors are allowed to apply to live off campus, and they are allowed to live off campus based on the numbers of seniors who live on campus. Applicants are ranked based on GPA, conduct history and involvement on campus, and those at the top of the list are allowed to live off campus, according to Myers.
Over the summer, incoming students might change their decisions about attending Occidental, and continuing students might transfer or take leaves of absence, according to Rice, who named this shift “summer melt.”
Due to the changes in the student body size, rising juniors might be offered the chance to live off campus anytime during the summer, according to Chang. Additionally, ResEd needs to fill up the residence halls, but also be able to provide space for everyone who needs it. According to Chang, balancing these competing interests can result in changes in room occupancy.
“This year, we had some doubles we had to put three people in,” Chang said.
Over the summer, the numbers of students that will need housing changes constantly.
“We never know until the first day of classes,” Myers said.
In the future, Chang mentioned the possibility of the option for sophomores to live off campus, as well as the construction of a new residence hall. The college is always looking at houses in the neighborhood to potentially buy and rent to students for additional housing, according to Chang.
McHugh ended the forum thanking students for attending and stressing the importance of such conversations to make changes occur on campus.
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