Lounge act

Thousands of new and returning students unloaded boxes, bags and tubs of their cherished belongings into their new IU dorms Wednesday. But because the number of students seeking on-campus housing this year exceeded the amount of space available, about 100 of those students were placed in what Residential Programs and Services referred to as "temporary housing" -- in other words, a large room that was designed to be a floor lounge -- with three other students, their furniture and all their belongings.\nThese rooms were designed to be gathering spaces for all members of the floor and their friends, not places where students live -- and, given the amount that we students pay for tuition and housing, it seems like having a room available upon arrival should be more than a minor indulgence. Really, the University should be bending over backward to make up for the sub-standard housing these students are receiving. Two-weeks-plus is a good chunk of time to spend living out of a suitcase, waiting for the next person to stumble into your room (although you will get to meet your neighbors).\nRPS Executive Director Pat Connor credited the problem to a large freshman class and a large number of graduate and transfer students moving in, as well as a new program that requires some Ivy Tech Community College students to live on campus. But it's also possible that the problem is partially because of the somewhat aggressive advertising campaign the University launched last year urging students to stay on-campus. \nBe careful what you wish for, RPS -- clearly, IU is not equipped to handle the large number of residents it said it wanted. Given the booming nature of the Bloomington housing market, one would think IU could have arranged temporary off-campus housing for these students. (If Bloomington had any more apartment complexes, it would look like one of those giant termite mounds from National Geographic specials.)\nFurthermore, it would seem that since RPS was forced to deal with a similar situation in 2000, it should have been able to see that a shortage of rooms could be a problem. Indeed, the IDS editorial board was moved to advise RPS on this exact same issue in a staff editorial Aug. 29, 2002, as well. Therefore, a plan to handle the situation should have been in place that would have prevented the ensuing scramble. Coming up with a suitable back-up scheme might take time and effort, but it's not like we're trying to cure cancer here -- and RPS's first duty is to the students, right? If RPS had taken such steps, it would have been able to avoid measures such as attempting to buy out students' contracts and begging dorm applicants older than 21 to move to an off-campus location.\nNext year, RPS needs to be a little more realistic when setting occupancy goals. Sure, more residents means more room and board, but the profit comes at the cost of the students' comfort and convenience.