Zack Rosenblum: Giving the freshman experience to all

Two years ago, Penn President Amy Gutmann was still working for that lesser university to our north, and Provost Ron Daniels was doing ... whatever it is they do in Canada.

But at Penn two years ago, students began making the case for improvements to the College House system. During that time student leaders from the Undergraduate Assembly -- myself included -- made comprehensive recommendations to trustees and administrators alike on the importance of addressing the distribution of freshmen throughout the College House system.

Our presentations focused on the disparity in the freshman experience, which largely depends on whether a student is assigned to live in the Quadrangle, Hill College House or Kings Court/English House as opposed to being placed somewhere else on campus. With the belief that freshmen should not be forced to live in housing that doesn't at least provide the opportunity to interact with many other freshmen, we proposed to consolidate those students into an additional freshman-concentrated house.

We believed then -- and continue to believe now -- that the freshman year experience should be enjoyed by everyone, not just those who were lucky enough to get into the Quad or Hill.

Two years ago, we proposed these changes and supported each of our recommendations with data from a comprehensive survey. Unfortunately, they were met with resistance from administrators in the College Houses and Academic Services Office, which challenged the validity of our concerns.

Administrators side-stepped the issue, claiming that the reasons such changes weren't possible were too complicated to explain. Top administrators at the time were also reluctant to address the issue. With a changing of the guard imminent, then-President Judith Rodin was not eager to embrace such a revolutionary change in her final months.

This year, the UA, along with the Residential Advisory Board, the Student Committee on Undergraduate Education and the Freshman Class Board, has once again brought the topic of freshman housing to the forefront of the administration's agenda. With a deep desire for a resolution of this issue, the UA raised our concerns with the Trustee Student Life Committee and to Daniels, and offered to return with a feasible solution reflecting student needs.

Just last week, that solution was rolled-out in a formal presentation to the provost and other top administrators of the College House system.

Issues such as freshman-concentrated housing, the make-up and structure of residential programs, the minimal level of interaction between students and house deans and faculty masters and the non-existence of the Wheel resources in many College Houses were addressed. The good news is that the administrators nodded their heads and expressed that they were impressed with our recommendations.

But those nodding heads need to translate into tangible change.

We must ensure that student interests are not swept under the rug for another two years. The provost has pledged to seriously consider our recommendations and come to a decision on the future direction of college houses by the end of the semester, and it's our responsibility to insist that the status quo not be considered a viable option. No matter how complicated or difficult these changes may be to implement, we must not allow that to serve as a valid excuse for inaction.

Each year hundreds of freshmen are stuck living in houses that weren't even listed in their top 10 choices. We cannot neglect these students' interests for another two years. Every first-year student deserves the opportunity to experience that freshman camaraderie found in the Quad and Hill.

I realize that many freshmen have wonderful experiences living in Gregory or DuBois college houses or even the high rises. However, the University owes each freshman the chance to live in an environment that they choose, whether it be in a single in Stouffer College House or on a hall in the Quad. A student should never be denied the opportunity to live with other freshmen if that is their preference.

Without the friendship of my freshman hall mates, I'm not sure I could have dealt with the stress of pulling my first all-nighter before a midterm or mustered up the courage to ask a girl out to my first date party. Freshman year is filled with firsts, and experiencing them with others who are going through the same thing is what makes it so unique.

Isn't that an experience that we should be able to offer to every freshman that comes to Penn?

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