Room Draw Up for Discussion

Author: Megan O'Keefe

John Sharpe '06, who lived on the fourth floor of Milliken as a first-year student, began his sophomore year living in a converted lounge on the same hall - a living arrangement he accepted in order to remain in Ross Commons.

Sharpe was one of approximately 150 rising sophomores who landed in summer room draw last spring when a housing shortage left them without dorm rooms and without a guarantee that they could continue living within their current commons.

"My [room draw] number was tough, but even if I had a moderately good number it still would have been hard to stay in Ross," said Sharpe.

Sharpe voiced his desire to remain within Ross to Dean of Ross Commons Jeanine Clookey and Residential Systems Coordinator Kelly McCarthy Bevere, but when he was assigned to a lounge on a first-year hall he expressed his disappointment: "I was kind of like, 'What am I doing here?'"

While he is now "gratefully" living in a Voter suite in Wonnacott Commons, Sharpe said, "[Ross Commons] became a home to me after one year. I made so many friends in the Ross Commons System."

"Continuing membership" was one of the three cornerstones of the commons system established by the Middlebury College Board of Trustees in the spring of 1998, but in recent years, housing disparities have made it difficult or impossible for many students to continue in their commons from one year to the next.

Recognizing the difficulties of room draw and the challenges of the commons-based residential system, the College has established a Room Draw Committee that, according to Associate Dean of Faculty Tim Spears, "will take up the logistics of room draw and develop means by which more rising sophomores can continue in their commons."

The committee members include Dean of Cook Commons David Edelson, who serves as chair, Faculty Head of Ross Commons Steve Abbott, Residential Systems Coordinator Kelly McCarthy Bevere, Nick Campofranco '06 and Steve Ambrette '04.

The committee, which has met only twice, is still in the preliminary stages of its work: diagnosing the problems and identifying the strengths of the current room draw procedure.

In its second meeting, the committee identified its goals, which include demystifying and simplifying the current room draw process. "The consensus among the committee is that there is this mysteriousness that goes along with room draw that we want to do away with," said Campofranco.

Abbott explained, "We'd like to take as much mystery out of the process as possible so that students can make informed choices about their living arrangements."

In addition to simplifying the procedure to make it easier and clearer for students, the committee must solve the problems of commons-based living.

"Our goal, in addition to making the actual room draw process less stressful, is to develop a plan that will make it easier for students to continue in their commons," explained Bevere.

In the past a high premium has been placed on seniority, a principle which will not be abandoned in the reform.

"The task is going to be finding a way to strike a fair balance between giving rising seniors the priority they deserve while making sure that rising sophomores are not forced out of a commons to which they have developed a sense of identity," said Abbott.

The committee, which will finish work by the end of Winter Term, plans to poll students for input and feedback. The committee findings will be presented to Executive Vice President and Provost Ron Liebowitz. "We do not want to make any suggestions to the administration that have not first been put in front of students," said Ambrette.

Contributing: Eleanor Parker