Author: Marjorie Camarda
Room draw is a stressful time for all, but this year’s housing hassle was even more harrowing for Pauley Hall residents. Many of the students currently living in Pauley Hall reapplied to live in the hall for the 2008-2009 year, but a portion of the applicants were denied or wait-listed.
There were the rumors in the weeks leading up to room draw that first years would be barred completely from Pauley next year. That myth was dispelled when housing decided to place five CSP classes in Pauley next year, instead of the usual two CSP classes. This increased number of first years was the cause of the displacement of the current residents. “It was kind of a confusing mess,” current Pauley resident Shannon Kincaide (sophomore) said. “I was very frustrated, especially as someone who lived in Pauley the year before. I felt like I was part of the community, so that was hard to deal with.”
“There are currently no students on the waitlist for Pauley,” Director of Residence Life and Housing Services Kecia Baker said. After several committee meetings, Pauley had been restored, with the majority of its current residents being given permission to return next year.
Though many students were outraged at having been ousted from the decision, they admit that ultimately, the administrators listened to concerns of student leaders who worked to make Pauley the home they envisioned.
“[Students] put a committee together . . . and they did get it worked out . . . Eventually the students did have a say,” Kincaide said.
Following a barrage of complaints, the decision to increase the number of CSP’s was reconsidered, and students were allowed to reapply. “The administration let the students that were wait-listed and denied residence to Pauley write a personal statement. The personal statements were evaluated by a second committee, which I was a part of. The second committee got full jurisdiction to decide who was accepted and who was not,” Tilak Gupta (first year) said. Gupta will be one of Pauley’s RA’s next year.
For the moment, the problem appears to have been solved. However, not all residents left the meetings free of qualms. Many students felt these recent issues sparked conversation about the meaning of Pauley, and that this recent question is not the only one Pauley residents need to answer. “In our meetings we talked about how the issue in Pauley this year has been ‘What is our community?'” Starlie Chinen (junior) said. Chinen is a current Pauley RA and was one of the selection committee members. “As soon as this issue ended people stopped talking about what our community is about. People are concerned about their immediate wants,” she said.
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