Dorm policies affect everyone

As a proud supporter of the Residence Life department, I just want to say how terribly disappointed I am in what's been going on in the past few weeks.

Allow me to point out the obvious. The freshman who are living in the residence halls now planned to do so when they applied to the UA. Not only that, many planned to return at least one more year, some every year.

I understand Residence Life's predicament. But how can you ask various freshman not to come back after many came here under the assumption they'd be permitted to stay as long as they needed or wanted to? So not only are they being asked to move off campus to what could be higher rent, but most will have to pay for the transportation they'll need to get to campus - the car and the permit to park it. Not that there are enough spaces to go around right now anyway.

Then there's furniture, utilities and other costs that come with living off campus. Is this a fair thing to ask of them? Of us?

It would be fair to notify next year's freshman class they might not be able to live in the halls more than a year, but to tell this year's freshman to "get out" seems somewhat deceptive.

And as for those of you moving out or who already did long ago, you might think this issue doesn't concern you. It doesn't now, but it will when there are a surplus of students looking for cheap off-campus housing, parking permits and parking spaces and things get scarce. The someone out there who isn't worrying about this problem right now is the one who's going to end up in an expensive apartment and without a parking permit.

Amanda J. Feuerman
Media arts sophomore