Housing Frustrates Residents

Rumors that the parents of incoming freshmen, concerned about unsightly construction, have successfully pressured housing officials to keep their children off South Campus have spread since housing assignments recently were issued.

But Director of University Housing Christopher Payne said the main factors are a record number of housing applications from returning students, the closing of Joyner Residence Hall for renovations and the reservation of a certain number of spaces on North and Mid campuses for incoming freshmen.

"It's just that we have more physical bed spaces in our South Campus communities," Payne said.

The recontracting process, which took place during the week of March 19, differed this year from previous years in that rooms were assigned on a first come, first serve basis by academic classification.

After fulfilling the requests of graduate students, seniors and juniors, the only sophomores who could switch regions were those who had chosen a roommate already living in another region.

"We value the opportunity for students to select their roommates," Payne said. "It's untrue to say that all students living on South Campus couldn't move to a different region."

Spaces are reserved each year for incoming freshmen to live on North and Mid campuses. "Our philosophy is to place students from all academic classifications in all of our campus communities," Payne said.

About 1,800 freshmen currently live on South Campus, with 700 living on North and Mid campuses. The ratio changes from year to year, Payne said, adding that the complete figures for next fall's ratio are still unavailable.

"We don't operate off a percentage," he said. "What we do is develop intentional communities."

Payne said he has not talked to any parents of incoming freshmen who did not want their children to live on South Campus. Instead his experience has shown the opposite to be true. "Most first-year students give us their preference as one of the South Campus communities," Payne said.

The trend of fewer students switching from South Campus to other campus regions in their sophomore year will probably continue during next year's registration because of the closings of Alexander, Connor and Winston residence halls for renovation, Payne said.

The opening of the four new South Campus communities in fall 2002 will offset these closings, however.

"I think the challenge (next year) will be for returning students to choose where they want to live," Payne said. He added that a survey will be circulated in the coming weeks so students will have a say in how rooms in the new communities are assigned.

But some rising sophomores refuse to accept the explanations.

Jonathan Gurkin, a freshman from Smithville who unsuccessfully tried to move from Ehringhaus Residence Hall to Alexander Residence Hall for next year, said he is upset that freshmen will be living on North Campus while he is on South Campus again.

"Currently they're tearing up the road to E-Haus," Gurkin said. "It can't get much worse than this."

But Leslie Bone, a freshman from Roanoke Rapids, said she sometimes regrets living on North Campus.

She was assigned to Cobb Residence Hall this year but will be living in Teague Residence Hall next year as part of the Academic Enhancement Program.

"I feel like being on North Campus misses out on the South Campus experience," she said.

Jesse Springer, a freshman currently living in Hinton James Residence Hall who did not attempt to switch regions, said he thinks that all freshmen should automatically be placed on South Campus, thus giving them a better chance to move off as they gain seniority.

He said keeping sophomores on South Campus who don't want to remain there is unfair.

"It's not fair for us to pay the same and get less," he said.

"We're paying for an apartment, and we're getting the ghetto."

The University Editor can be reached at udesk@unc.edu.