Rachel Weisel | They've been nice long enough

Spring break starts tomorrow and will provide us with a short-lived but precious oasis of free time before the next wave of papers and midterms. However, with housing assignments still up in the air, some of us aren't exactly ready or able to relax.

When I first arrived at Hill this year, in a state of blissful ignorance, I tried to make the best of a nearly unlivable situation. I told myself it was okay that I didn't get placed in the Quad, because next year I would be living in the high rises.

Whenever I got fed up with Hill's disgusting bathrooms, lack of air conditioning or claustrophobic rooms, I would think about how, in less than one year, I would be in luxurious, apartment-style rooms in either Harrison, Rodin or Harnwell. This consolation prize would more than make up for a year spent in "the Dungeon." But as I continue to learn the hard and painful way, things never seem to turn out the way I expect.

My high hopes for the high rises were dashed after being rejected from both a residential program and community living there. I had followed all of the correct application procedures, but just didn't end up lucky enough.

While being assigned to Hill turned out to be a blessing in a very thick disguise, and I would probably choose it again if I had to redo the entire process, I feel like we deserve some sort of compensation for living there.

Under the current assignment system, incoming sophomores are the last priority when it comes to housing. We fall behind freshman, who are guaranteed housing, as well as juniors and seniors, who have seniority status.

The only places we really have any sort of priority are in our own college houses. As much as I came to love Hill, this is not much of an advantage. This "team and character building" was okay for freshman year, since we were all "stuck" together. But I would not want to live there for two consecutive years, especially since it's a predominantly freshmen dorm.

Penn's housing assignments system should be amended in such a way that it rewards people who did not get their first or second choices for housing the previous year. This would ensure that the same people do not always receive the best, or worst, housing assignments.

What happened next felt more like competing on a game show than applying for housing. My friends and I were offered a place in Sansom West, a far cry from the high rises.

We had two options: We could keep raising the stakes and apply one last time to the high rises via the inter-house process, with the hopes of getting what we really wanted. But if we did not get into the high rises, we would risk being separated from each other or placed on a waiting list for any housing at all.

Or we could play it safe and settle for Sansom, which almost reminded me of Hill, but without its characteristic vibrant community. Deal or no deal?

Since no one in the housing department could tell us our probability of getting into the high rises, we made what we thought was the right choice: After enduring a year in Hill and facing these first two housing disappointments, we decided to take a chance and go for the jackpot.

While I understand that life is not fair, and that it is impossible for everyone to get what they want all of the time, Penn needs to somehow equalize its housing system. It should not be this all or nothing. We should not be on the losing side time after time.

The overriding feeling on my floor is that after a year of living in such poor conditions, we deserve to be considered a top priority. We have been good sports for long enough.

Penn needs to offer more viable and desirable alternatives between the high rises and being forced to live off campus. Students also need more guidance and information from housing officials.

A few weeks ago, I opened a fortune cookie, and laughed when I read the fortune: "Make smart choices - live on campus." Posters with similar messages implore us to stay on campus for another year. Ironically, this seems to be easier said than done.

At this point, the situation is out of my hands. Though the housing gods have not been kind to me in the past, maybe this time I might get lucky . and hopefully, you will too.

Rachel Weisel is a College freshman from Chesterfield, Missouri. Her e-mail address is weisel@dailypennsylvanian.com. Writes of Passage appears on Fridays.

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