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Yes, subpar housing is part of college and young adulthood. My argument was more that:

a) Mr. Archer misunderstood why students choose off-campus housing over the Southwest Quad/similar options. “Multi-use” facilities don’t rank high with students, but kitchens, single rooms and living rooms do.

b) Unless Georgetown REQUIRES on-campus housing all four years (keep in mind, right now the University only guarantees three years and requires two), the University needs to build housing that students will choose over off-campus options. When given the choice between a group home in Burleith and a double in the Southwest Quad, almost all upperclassmen would choose the group home in Burleith.

@ignores the main issue

I don’t think history supports your argument. The D.C. Court of Appeals struck down the Board of Zoning Adjustment’s 2000 ruling, which had capped undergraduate enrollment and forced the University to enact policies addressing behavioral problems. By that standard, I don’t think undergraduates living off-campus today constitute an “objectionable impact,” especially since the D.C. Court has already approved the status quo and the University has capped undergraduate enrollment in the 2010 plan. The increased graduate enrollment is a different question; even then, I expect the BZA with be looking at traffic concerns, not prejudiced assumptions about students as a group.

@Jeff

I usually say “neighbors” or “residents” to mean non-students living in Georgetown—and often to mean Campus Plan opponents—but I’m unsatisfied with those terms. Students are neighbors and residents as well. I appreciate your attempt to draw a distinction, and I apologize if I tend to over-generalize.

@Ken Archer

1) In regards to housing, I think the University should reconsider the 1789 Block. The apartments would have been wedged between existing University-owned buildings, so I don’t understand why CAG considered the area “off-campus.”

I think in regards to parties, a little communication would go a long way. Students and neighbors should talk to each other, let each other know about any gatherings that might get loud, and exchange numbers in case problems come up. I can’t speak for all my classmates, but I think most students would be more responsive to resident concerns if it seemed the neighborhood had reasonable expectations and first tried to communicate in a positive way. Instead, next-door neighbors post “Our Homes, Not GU’s Dorm” signs on their lawns. Stephen Brown hides in bushes and takes pictures of us. Many residents make it clear that we are fundamentally unwelcome. I think the sense among students is, neighbors will never give us the benefit of the doubt, and so what’s the point?

As a result, off-campus party registration would likely cause a lot of anger and provide very few benefits. First, there are the obvious questions of scope: What about undergraduates who live with graduate students? With students from other universities? With family? What about undergraduates who move to Dupont or Rosslyn or East Georgetown? If anything, party registration might expose an inconvenient truth: not all the loud parties are thrown by Georgetown undergraduates. There are also graduate students and young professionals renting in these neighborhoods, especially over the summer. Second, I don’t believe off-campus party registration would be any more effective than current measures. Students are already deterred by sanction hours and study abroad restrictions. They are already held accountable. What would party registration accomplish?

2) My point was, students would rather live in apartments than multi-use dorms. If the University could find room to provide multi-use apartments, that would be fantastic. I’m skeptical that the University could build on top of the dining hall or the athletic facility—it seemed like the architectural firm had exhausted every possibility—but if it were possible, I would support it.

@Everyone

I sincerely appreciate your thoughtful and respectful comments. I’m very encouraged that there are neighbors who are willing to include students in these discussions.

by Kara Brandeisky on Jan 26, 2011 12:40 am • link • report