Task force to consider linking

Eddie Hull, executive director of housing services and dean of residence life, announced the formation of a task force that will address Campus Council’s concerns about linked housing. <o:p></o:p>

Linking has been the talk of the town lately, and now the administration is stepping in. Eddie Hull, executive director of housing services and dean of residence life, announced this week his plan to create a West Campus Housing Strategies Task Force. The task force will address Campus Council’s recommendation to eliminate the linking process and make significant changes to the blocking model.

A Campus Council resolution that passed last week argued that the current linking policy discourages students from blocking with friends living in other dorms because doing so significantly increases their chance of ending up in Edens Quadrangle. The proposed changes call for a proportional distribution of sophomores across all six West Campus quads—but with priority given to juniors and seniors who want to continue to live in the same quad. Campus Council also suggested increasing the maximum number of students able to block together from eight to 16.

“Campus Council has given us a resolution that is worth serious consideration,” said Associate Dean for Residence Life Joe Gonzalez, who will chair task force. “By having a task force look at the issue, it helps guarantee a possible and strong outcome.”

The resolution will be a “starting point,” Hull said, explaining that the task force will then set out to “test some of the assumptions” and ask “what if” questions Campus Council may not have addressed.

The task force will bring together students and administrators to determine the best solution to student housing. Specifically, the group will include five or six students chosen by Campus Council, as well as representatives from Residential Life and Housing Services. If needed, other members of the community who are particularly well-suited to address questions that arise will also be asked to join meetings.

“The task force is an effort to engage a broad range of constituent groups in the discussion,” Hull said. “And figuring out the most effective way for developing a response.”

Hull similarly emphasized that “students will represent the range of residents that we have in our system.”

On Hull’s recommendation, Gonzalez accepted the position of chair of the task force.

“My central role is to be one of helping us identify the issues that need strong consideration and thought,” Gonzalez said. “And to make sure we are making continuous progress on those issues and don’t remain stagnant.”

While the plans for this task force are specific and a time-line has already been drawn out, changes to the residential housing process would not take effect until Fall 2006.

“We have the luxury of having time to consider this issue,” Gonzalez said, “We’re taking advantage of that.”

The task force has been scheduled to meet for the first time the week of March 21. It will meet several times before the end of spring semester and over the summer will continue to communicate electronically and through conference calls if necessary. The task force will write up monthly progress reports due to Hull and the new Campus Council president.

These reports will include progress, plans for future steps and any questions that have arisen. The task force is expected to release a proposal Sept. 16 that will be reviewed by RLHS before they make an official decision Sept. 30. Students will be informed of the decision through an extensive marketing campaign in October.

“The hope is that on the one hand it is a very generous amount of time,” Hull said. “But on the other hand it will happen during the summer time so we need to make sure that a conversation can occur in which everyone feels they can participate.”